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SMC California Athletics

Saint Mary's College Athletics Gaels
Tanner Krebs vs Utah State
Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
73
Utah St. USU 7-1,0-0 Mountain West
81
Winner Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 7-1,0-0 WCC
Utah St. USU
7-1,0-0 Mountain West
73
Final
81
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC
7-1,0-0 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Utah St. USU 36 37 73
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 34 47 81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

MBB | Gaels Push Past No. 15 Aggies in Final Minutes

MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's earned their first home victory over a ranked opponent for the first time since 2012 as they outlasted No. 15 Utah State on Friday night in McKeon Pavilion, 81-73. It was also the team's first win over a top-15 team at home since 2007 (No. 12 Oregon, 99-87). 

HOW IT HAPPENED
In a game that featured 23 lead changes, the Gaels came out on top with a strong surge in the final minutes. With 2:43 remaining, Jordan Ford hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to give SMC a two-point advantage which was immediately followed by a Tanner Krebs triple to give the Gaels their largest lead of the half to that point. An 11-0 run would put Randy Bennett's club up by 10 with 41 seconds to play. 

The Gaels' two top scorers each came up big in the win as Ford and Malik Fitts each posted season-highs in points. Ford had 27 with 22 of those coming in the final half while Fitts recorded 21 on 7-of-10 shooting. 

Ford was lights out in the final 20 minutes, going 8-for-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds and two assists while playing all 40 minutes. The senior guard has now scored 20 or more in all but one game this year. 

Fitts posted his second double-double of the year as he grabbed 11 boards. Matthais Tass quietly scored 15 on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting day while dishing out a team-high six helpers. 

Utah State pulled ahead with a little more than four to play but less than a minute later, SMC retook the lead as Ford hit a triple and Fitts slammed home a transition dunk that made the 3,500-patron sellout crowd erupt. 

Utah State took a two-point lead into the halftime break after a Ford buzzer-beater three rattled in and back out. Fitts led the Gaels and Tass chipped in 10 while Sam Merrill put up 15 for the Aggies. Both teams shot exactly 50 percent in the first half. 

The last three games Saint Mary's has played against non-conference ranked opponents have all been against Utah State. The Gaels fell to the No. 25 Aggies back in 2011 and then beat USU when they were 23rd in the coaches poll in 2009. 

Justin Bean led the Aggies with 24 points while Sam Merrill was close behind at 23. Merrill had 15 at halftime but SMC managed to lock him down in the final half as he shot just 3-for-9 in the final 20.  

NUMBERS TO KNOW
14: The Gaels had 14 assists and are now 7-0 this year when they record 10 or more dimes. 
52: Saint Mary's shot 52 percent from the field in the game. 
10: SMC picked up 10 steals in the contest. 
15: 15 of the Gaels' 21 free throws came in the second half. 
12: Saint Mary's held the lead for exactly 12 minutes.

QUOTABLE
"We hit some timely shots. We made some stops defensively which is tough to do and this is the win we needed for our confidence as a team. This was something we did, this team, this year and down the stretch, a lot of guys made big plays and we needed that." - Randy Bennett

"Last year, we left the door open when we played in Las Vegas and it's good to be back with a big win like this one, especially at home. It is definitely motivation for us to keep working hard and get more big wins like tonight." - Matthias Tass

"I think this win is really good for our momentum going forward. They are a really good team and it felt good to beat a top-15 team right here at home, it gives us a lot of confidence." - Jordan Ford

UP NEXT: OMAHA
The Gaels remain at home for their next matchup against Omaha on Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here. 
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