IRVINE, Calif. — In the most evenly-play contest of the season, Saint Mary's Women's Basketball prevailed in its first win of the year. Going toe-to-toe with the Anteaters of UC Irvine, Saint Mary's escaped the Bren Events Center with a 67-64 victory, running their record to 1-4 while dropping the Anteaters to 1-3.
 
FINAL NUMBERS FOR FINAU
 
Wednesday afternoon was a career-day for Finau Tonga on all fronts, as the redshirt-freshman was a force in the paint. Not only did she grab a career-best 12 rebounds, but she nearly doubled that output in points, scoring 23 on 9-12 from the field for her first collegiate double-double. Most of her damage was done in the first three quarters, where she put up all 23 of her points and ten of her rebounds. Despite the quiet fourth quarter, Tonga was instrumental in keeping the Gaels right there with UC Irvine early.
 
DOWN TO THE WIRE
 
There were 15 lead changes on Wednesday afternoon, with ten other junctures where the game was tied. Neither team led by more than six, a lead the Gaels held midway through the fourth quarter. After the Anteaters were able to whittle the lead down to an eventual tie at 64-64, Saint Mary's turned in some beautiful passing to a wide-open Tayla Dalton, who knocked down the biggest three of the game for SMC. Her corner-three gave Saint Mary's a 67-64 lead with 1:19 remaining, and the Gaels survived a last-second three attempt from UC Irvine to secure the win. Surprisingly, that three-pointer from Dalton was just the fifth of the game for Saint Mary's as a team in their lowest output from beyond the arc this season.
 
REELIN' REBOUNDS
 
The best rebounding team in the WCC continued to show their grit on the glass by reeling in 45 rebounds on Wednesday, led by the 12 from Tonga and the fourth 10-plus rebound game from Brianna Simonich, who finished with ten on the dot. The Gaels out-rebounded UC Irvine by 15 in the game, improving on their rebounding margin which entered the game ranked 33^rd in the NCAA. Three others grabbed at least four in the game: Dalton (five, career-best), Jade Kirisome (five, tied career-best), and Ellie Croco (four).
 
FEELIN' 14
 
Madeline Holland responded with a bounce-back game after putting up just four points against Fresno State last week. The senior posted a 14-point effort in a usual-Holland performance, adding in a pair of rebounds and four assists. In five games this season, Holland has scored exactly 14 points in four of them – with four in the lone outlier.
 
UP NEXT
 
Saint Mary's will play Nevada on Monday, December 21 at 1:00 pm inside University Credit Union Pavilion for their much-anticipated home opener. The game also serves as the final non-conference affair for the Gaels, who will begin West Coast Conference play at home following a short break for the Christmas holiday. Both live stats and a live broadcast on the WCC Network will be available.
 
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