MORAGA, Calif. – The Gaels lost a heartbreaker on Sunday in the second round of the WNIT after a second-half surge from Pepperdine led to a 65-61 win for the Waves.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• QUARTER 1 | The Gaels began with a steal in the Waves' paint and ran it back up the court for the first points of the game. Sydney Raggio scored the first three of the game for Saint Mary's from the top of the arc followed by a second 3-pointer from Emily Codding that forced Pepperdine to take a timeout just three and a half minutes into the game. With five minutes left in the period, Raggio had nine of the Gaels' 14 points and was shooting 4-for-4. Pepperdine responded with a 6-0 run, but Sam Simons snapped it with two consecutive jumpers to put SMC up 20-14. The first quarter ended with Saint Mary's holding the 22-16 advantage over Pepperdine. The Gaels shot 10-for-15 in the first quarter compared to Pepperdine who shot 7-for-16.

 

• QUARTER 2 | Madeline Holland scored the first points of the second period for SMC and spurred a 7-1 run for the Gaels with points from Carly Turner and Tyra Moe. Saint Mary's continued to outshoot Pepperdine with a shooting percentage of 58.3 compared to 42.9 and only five minutes left to go in the half. Claire Ferguson checked in for the Gaels and scored her first points of the matchup to extend the lead to 31-22. The two teams went point-for-point through the next four minutes of the period before Megan McKay hit a 3-pointer from the left side that gave the Gaels the nine-point lead and silenced the Waves' offense. Simons drained a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in the last second of the half and sent the teams to the locker room with a 41-27 lead for Saint Mary's.

 

• QUARTER 3 | Pepperdine scored the first points of the second half after three successful layups in a row. Simons recorded a layup of her own and stopped the Waves run, but senior Yasmine Robinson-Bacote continued to give the Gaels trouble, shortening the lead to eight points and had collected 14 points of her own. Pepperdine took a timeout with 4:35 left in the third quarter and SMC was ahead 45-33. The teams picked up defensively as there was a two-minute scoring drought towards the end of the period before Pepperdine landed two free-throws. With a minute left to go in the third, Holland hit a jumper to regain the double-digit 47-37 lead over the Waves. Pepperdine outscored Saint Mary's by six points in the third quarter and the period ended 47-39.

 

• QUARTER 4 | As the final 10 minutes of play began, the Gaels continued to hold their lead over Pepperdine. The Waves pulled within six points of Saint Mary's as both teams began to rack up fouls and shots from the free-throw line became important. With five minutes left to go in the game, SMC was up 53-48 as Pepperdine took a timeout. After the timeout, the Waves pulled within three points of Gaels. At the 2:45 mark, Pepperdine tied the game 55-55 and shortly after took the lead on a made 3-pointer. Holland then hit a jumper for the Gaels and brought them back within one point of Pepperdine but the Waves responded with another three. The Gaels were down 61-57 with less than a minute to go as Holland made two free-throws and Saint Mary's was within two points. Robinson-Bacote hit a jumper in the paint to make it 63-59 for the Waves with 30 seconds left before SMC responded with a layup. Unfortunately, there was not enough time on the clock for the Gaels and Pepperdine took the 65-61 win.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 2nd: The Gaels first appearance in the second round of the WNIT since 2015
• 43.9: Shooting percentage for SMC compared to the Waves 39.4
• 32: Points in the paint for both Saint Mary's and Pepperdine on Sunday
• 58.6: The shooting percentage for the Gaels in the first half
• 7: Season-high number of rebounds for senior Turner
• 30: Combined points scored by Saint Mary's seniors

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