MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's (11-17, 6-11 WCC) dropped a heartbreaker on Thursday night as they took Santa Clara into overtime, but were unable to seal the deal and fell 94-87.
 
SHOOTING SUCCESS
The Gaels got off to a strong start in the fourth quarter after giving up the first five points of the contest to Santa Clara. A bucket from Sam Simons sparked a 10-2 run for the Gaels that was supported by solid shooting; SMC went 7-for-12 in the first quarter alone (58.3) and shot 75 percent from beyond the arc. For comparison, the Broncos only made 25 percent of their threes in the first period and shot 41 percent from the field. Santa Clara was able to narrow the gap and eventually take the lead back from Saint Mary's in the second quarter, however the Gaels continued to shoot well overall. Headed into the half, SMC was shooting 54 percent from the field and 57 percent from the three-point line. Sophomore Sam Simons led the pack with 10 points in the first half, while senior Tyra Moe was close behind with eight. Saint Mary's also managed to rack up 10 assists on 14 buckets in the first half as junior Madeline Holland led the team with four.
 
SECOND HALF STRUGGLES
Saint Mary's went on a 8-3 run to begin the second half, however Santa Clara stepped up their shooting game and took the lead with just over four minutes left in the third. The Broncos shot 41 percent in the second half and shot 57 percent from the three-point line in the third quarter. The Gaels also struggled with ball-handling on Thursday as they commited 16 total turnovers in the game allowing SCU to score 28 points off of stolen balls. Forward Merle Wiehl was a tough opponent for SMC in the contest as she recorded a team-high 21 points, 14 of which came in the first half while the other seven came in overtime. The Gaels also lost Moe and Holland in the second half as they both fouled out. 
 
PUTTING UP NUMBERS 
SMC put up a strong offense in the contest as four different Gaels landed in double-digit points including Tyra Moe who recorded a career-high 16 points. Holland led the team with 23 points while also posting seven assists and Simons was close behind after pitching in 22 points and eight boards. The Gaels also shined from the charity stripe as they shot 91 percent in the second half alone with Holland going a perfect 6-for-6 in that half while shooting 11-for-12 overall. Brianna Simonich was a key component defensively as she racked up a career-high five steals. Saint Mary's totaled 87 points in the game which is the most points they have scored since December 30 in their first meetup against Santa Clara on the road. 
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will play their final game of the regular season and celebrate their seniors on Saturday and as they host the San Francisco Dons for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff. The following week, the Gaels will travel to Las Vegas to participate in the West Coast Conference Championships.
 
#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.