MORAGA, Calif. — The 2021-22 basketball season tipped off on Tuesday night as Saint Mary's hosted Prairie View A&M inside University Credit Union Pavilion. With an announced crowd of 2,238 in attendance to see the Gaels for the first time since 2020, fans were not disappointed. Saint Mary's came out shooting the lights out of the building in the first half and secured an 87-68 win in their home opener.
 
FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK
Not only was there a return to fans on Tuesday night, but there was a return to dominance from Alex Ducas. The junior out of Geraldton, West Australia was on fire early and kept that momentum rolling into the second half. Ducas led all scorers with 13 points in the first half en route to 22 points on Tuesday night, just three points shy of his career-best. He also made six shots from distance, setting a new personal best, going 6-13 from beyond the arc. Ducas also holds the honor of scoring the first points of the season, on a tip-in dunk on the first possession that lit the crowd on fire.
 
BIG ON BOWEN
Ducas wasn't the only Gael who found his rhythm early and often on Tuesday night, as Kyle Bowen put in work offensively and defensively. Bowen was able to set a new career-best in points with 12 on Tuesday night, going 4-8 from the floor and finishing a perfect 3-3 from the stripe. In what was just his seventh-career start, Bowen played 30 minutes and was a +21 on the floor. He also paced SMC in rebounds with nine, finishing one shy of what would have been his first collegiate double-double.
 
RAINING INSIDE
With all their shooters back, the Gaels offense was making it rain three-pointers inside UCU Pavilion against the Panthers. Saint Mary's racked up 13 made threes, their most in a game since hitting 16 against Texas Southern on December 3, 2020. While Ducas led the way with six, five other Gaels were able to hit at least one shot from three-point land. Dan Fotu was great early, knocking down a pair of threes en route to a 14-point performance. Jabe Mullins hit a pair of early threes in the first half as part of a 10-point effort for the sophomore. Augustas Marciulionis made the first basket of his collegiate career on a three-pointer in the second half.
 
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
The Gaels recorded 23 assists on 29 made shots Tuesday night, their most assists in a game since January 11, 2018 (24 against Santa Clara)…Tommy Kuhse led SMC in assists with eight, while Logan Johnson added five…the Gaels out-rebounded the Panthers 36-20, including 13-3 on the offensive glass…the Gaels led by as many as 18 in the first half before a 25-8 run from Prairie View A&M to close out the opening stanza…Saint Mary's locked down defensively in the second half, holding the Panthers to just 40% shooting and only seven rebounds…the Gaels shot at 52.7% overall from the floor, and 55.2% for the game.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's stays at home for the second of four consecutive inside University Credit Union Pavilion on Friday night when the Gaels welcome in Texas Southern. The Tigers fell 83-66 in their first game of the season on Tuesday night when they traveled to No. 13 Oregon. This marks the second-consecutive season that Saint Mary's and Texas Southern will meet in Moraga, with the Gaels winning last year's matchup 82-70 on December 3.
   
#GaelsRise — 2021-22 tickets and ticket packages are on sale now! To purchase tickets, click HERE. If you have questions, contact the ticket office by email smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu or call 925-631-4689…Saint Mary's Basketball…#TogetherAgain