MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's played tough in their first game of the Thanksgiving Classic, but ultimately fell 77-63 against Marquette.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 

• QUARTER 1 | The Gaels struck first on Friday afternoon as Brianna Simonich sunk a layup for the first points of the game before Emily Codding nailed two threes to give SMC a 7-2 lead. Codding went on to score 11 points in the first quarter alone and ended the contest with a new, season-high 20 points. Saint Mary's continued to lead Marquette until the fifth minute when the Golden Eagles tied the contest 10-10, but SMC responded with a 6-2 run to regain their lead. Marquette took their first lead of the matchup with just over two minutes to go in the quarter but five consecutive points from Codding would bring SMC within one. A buzzer-beater three from Marquette would put them up 25-21 as the first period expired. The Gaels shot well in the first quarter as they shot 57.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
   
• QUARTER 2 | Marquette scored the first points of the second quarter as they extended their lead to six points and continued to hold it through the first four minutes of the period. Layups from Codding and Tyra Moe brought the Gaels within one point of the Golden Eagles, but they remained just out of SMC's reach. Saint Mary's took a timeout with four minutes to go in the half and Marquette leading 35-28, but following the break Sam Simons hit her first three of the game and brought the Gaels within four points of their opponent. The Golden Eagles kept their lead through the remainder of the half, but a three-point buzzer beater from Simonich would cut the lead to 43-38 going into the half. At the end of the second period, Codding led the team with 16 points, her most in the first half all season.
   
• QUARTER 3 | Saint Mary's scored the first points of the second half with a layup that brought the Gaels within three points of the Golden Eagles. Marquette continued to push the pace and went up by nine points over SMC following the first three minutes of action. The Golden Eagles went on a 12-2 run over the course of two minutes to extend their lead to 59-46, forcing the Gaels to call a timeout with 4:19 on the clock. After the break, the Saint Mary's went on a 4-0 run to cut Marquette's lead to nine points, but the Golden Eagles responded with four points of their own to regain a 13-point advantage (63-50) as the third period ended.
  
   
• QUARTER 4 | The teams traded free throws in the first three minutes of the final frame as the score was 65-53 with seven minutes left in the game. Emily Codding would score the first bucket of the fourth quarter on a breakaway layup to bring the Gaels within 10 points of Marquette. The Golden Eagles pressured the Gaels as they recorded three steals in the first six minutes of the quarter, but SMC continued to respond to their buckets. Jordyn Boesel hit her first three-pointer of the season to cut the Marquette's lead to 14 points, but it would prove to be too much for the Gaels to overcome and SMC fell 77-63.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 20: Total points for Codding, a new season-high for the junior
• 4-4: Codding was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc on Friday
• 11: New season-high in points for Simonich
• 28: Points in the paint for Saint Mary's against Marquette

COMING UP

The Thanksgiving Classic continues tomorrow as the Gaels will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 2:00 p.m. following a matchup between Tulsa and Marquette at noon.

#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home basketball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.