MORAGA, Calif. — Saturday afternoon was West Coast Conference women's basketball at its finest. Saint Mary's and LMU met up for their first matchup of the season, and the end result did not disappoint. With a back-and-forth affair on hand, the Gaels were able to survive a late push from LMU and hold on for a 69-65 win, capping off a perfect weekend of basketball. With the win, Saint Mary's improves to 4-10 (2-6) while the Lions fall to 5-8 (4-4).
 
WEDIN GOING WILD
The star of the second half for Saint Mary's was Taycee Wedin, who tied career-bests in multiple categories en route to a stellar afternoon. After scoring just six points in the first half, Wedin finished with 18 points in the second half alone, tallying 24 in the win and tying her career-best which she set against Gonzaga on February 8, 2020. That game also featured her making six three-pointers, which she accomplished on Saturday against LMU for the sixth time in her career. Her sixth triple of the night pushed her past Gaels great Anja Bordt for the third most three-pointers made in SMC history.
 
LATE SWINGS
The fourth quarter had some of the biggest runs of the game, and the Gaels started it off. Down 55-53, Saint Mary's went on a 12-0 run to open up a 65-55 advantage. Wedin alone was responsible for eight of those points, but it was Brianna Simonich who got it started with a second-chance layup. With the Gaels up by ten with just over two minutes remaining, the Lions went on a 9-0 run in the span of 67 seconds, making it 65-64 with under a minute to go. Free throws from Madeline Holland and Wedin iced the game as SMC held on for the win.
 
STARTER'S SUCCESS
Of the 69 points scored by the Gaels on Saturday, 64 of those came from the starting lineup. Only Leia Hanafin and her five points off the bench were scored by a non-starter. Every Gaels starter had at least six points (Jade Kirisome), while Simonich added eight, Emily Codding put up 11, Holland scored a season-best 15, and Wedin's 24.
 
HAULING BOARDS
It seems to be a trend with this year's SMC team, but the Gaels continue to out-rebound the opposition on a regular basis. Saturday against LMU was no different, as Saint Mary's was +15 in the rebounding margin (42-27), and that directly translated to 13 second-chance points, compared to just one for LMU. Simonich led the way as she usually does with 12 rebounds, while Codding grabbed nine and Holland tied her career-best with eight boards in the game. The Gaels have only been out-rebounded in three games this season.
 
POSTGAME QUOTE
"It was a little rocky at the end, but I thought we came together as a team, executed when we needed to, and coach (Paul Thomas) gave us some good plays to run. We just had to work as a team, and I thought that brought it out of us there in the fourth quarter." – Madeline Holland
 
UP NEXT
Next week will be a busy one for Saint Mary's as the Gaels have three games on the schedule, all in the WCC. First up for Saint Mary's is a road game at San Diego on Tuesday at 1:00 pm, a rescheduled contest after their initial date got postponed due to a positive COVID-19 case at San Diego. Then the Gaels return home for Portland on Thursday at 1:00 pm, and #20 Gonzaga on Saturday at 1:00 pm.