MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels played a dominant night of basketball on Thursday night as they scored over 100 points for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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QUARTER 1 | The Pilots got out to an early 6-2 lead over the Gaels, but they weren't behind for long as they tied the game 9-9 after three minutes of play. With half of the period left to go, Portland held a 18-11 advantage over SMC but Megan McKay led the charge and brought the Gaels back within two points. She had 13 points with 3:28 left in the quarter and was shooting a stellar, 5-for-5. The two teams went point-for-point through the remainder of the period, but the Gaels couldn't quite recover from the Pilots strong start and went into the second quarter with a score of 30-27 behind Portland.
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QUARTER 2 | Jasmine Forcadilla got the scoring started for Saint Mary's in the second with a three from the top of the arc to tie the teams at 30-30. After a number of productive drives, the Gaels took the lead with just under seven minutes left in the half. SMC then went on an 10-2 run to bring the score to 44-34 and force the Pilots to take a timeout with 4:50 left. McKay increased her point total to 17 while continuing to shoot a perfect 7-for-7 during the run. The Gaels maintained a strong lead as the clock ran down with Saint Mary's shooting 66 percent compared to the Pilots 46. The half ended with the Pilots only having collected ten points in the quarter compared to SMC who collected 29.
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QUARTER 3 | The two teams started the the quarter by trading buckets, but the Gaels still remained solidly ahead of Portland. Saint Mary's continued to outshoot the Pilots 65 percent compared to 45 while McKay had increased to 19 points while still shooting perfect on the night. With 4:55 left in the third, SMC was ahead of Portland 69-52 as Forcadilla brought in a number of shots and increased her total to 20 points for a new career-high. Darian Slaga of the Pilots gave SMC trouble in the third quarter, reaching 25 points, but Saint Mary's remained ahead. The Gaels continued to extend their lead and control the court as McKay collected her tenth rebound to secure her fourth double-double of the season. The quarter ended with Saint Mary's ahead of Portland 86-66 and shooting 64 percent.
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QUARTER 4 | McKay continued to lead the charge on offense as the senior forward collected 26 points, just four points shy of her season-high. She ended the night shooting a perfect 11-for-11 with 11 rebounds. The Gaels pulled out to a 26-point lead, their largest of the night, with six minutes left to go in the matchup. At the five minute mark, Saint Mary's collected the 99th point, which is the most they have scored all season since their first game (98 points) against Portland in early January. The Gaels continued to dominant on the court, surpassed 100 points with ease and took the win in the end with a 113-85 advantage over the Pilots.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
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2006: The first time the Gaels have scored at least 100 points since the 2006-07 season (November 24, 2006 - a 100-91 win over CSU Northridge)
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113: Most points scored against a Division I opponent in program history for Saint Mary's
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20: Career-high in points for Forcadilla (7-for-10, 5 rebs, 2 asts).
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17: Points for McKay at the half, 26 points total in the game.
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62.7: Shooting percentage for Saint Mary's, highest since the season opener (Nov. 9 vs. Wyoming - 68.0)
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5: Fifth consecutive win for SMC, all against conference opponents.
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62: Points in the paint for the Gaels.
QUOTABLE
"Megan was great in the first quarter:Â she scored every time she had the ball and didn't miss the entire game," said head coach Paul Thomas. "We were also very happy about our shooting percentage tonight which has continued to improve all season long."
COMING UP
Saint Mary's will play the last game of their homestand against No. 15 Gonzaga on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Links to the live stats and the live stream can be found by clicking here, or visiting the Gaels' schedule page. Tickets to the game can be purchased by clicking here.
