MORAGA, Calif. – It came down to the final seconds on Monday night, but the No. 18 Gaels fell by just two points, 61-59, to the Winthrop Eagles in their home-opener.
 
Senior Jordan Ford continued to show his leadership on the court as he played the entire 40 minutes of the matchup and recorded 22 points, just four shy of his 26-point performance in the first game of the year against Wisconsin. Redshirt junior Malik Fitts also built on his success from the first game as he collected a double-double (18 pts, 13 reb).

Just after the second half began, Tanner Krebs hit a trey to bring his point total up to nine and tie the contest, 28-28. He went on to score the third most points for the Gaels with 15 on the night. 

While the Gaels started off hot on Monday night, it was ultimately the Eagles who bested Saint Mary's. Winthrop was able to outshoot SMC 46 percent to 40 percent from the field. The Gaels did get the better of the Eagles from beyond the arc as they shot 29 percent as opposed to 26 percent from Winthrop. Both teams recorded 31 rebounds apiece in the contest and Fitts led had a game-high 13.

Heading into the half, the Eagles held the 26-25 advantage over SMC despite the Gaels leading for over 10 minutes in the first period. Ford recorded a game-high, nine points in the first half while Fitts was close behind with eight. Ford, Fitts, Krebs, and Johnson combined for all 25 points from the Gaels in the first. Saint Mary's defense didn't surrender a three-pointer until there was 2:31 seconds left in the first half. 

Chandler Vaudrin provided the offensive fuel for the Eagles as he scored a team-high 19 points in 31 minutes of action while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. Josh Ferguson also contributed 14 points for Winthrop. 
 
QUOTABLE

• "I think we have pretty good players and we are pretty good defensively," said head coach Randy Bennett. "We just have to figure out the right pieces to put together, trust each other and share the ball." 

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 55: Combined points from the top three Gael scorers on Thursday
• 2: Matthias Tass had a team-high two blocks
• 26: Points in the paint for Saint Mary's against Winthrop. 
• 5: Only five players scored in the game for SMC.

UP NEXT: CLOSE TO HOME

• The Gaels will remain at home for their next two contests as they look to face off against Long Beach State on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Cal Poly on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.