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SMC California Athletics

Saint Mary's College Athletics Gaels
Logan Johnson going for the poster dunk vs LMU
47
Loyola Marymount LMU 13-9,7-5 WCC
52
Winner Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 14-8,4-6 WCC
Loyola Marymount LMU
13-9,7-5 WCC
47
Final
52
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC
14-8,4-6 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Loyola Marymount LMU 21 26 47
Saint Mary's (CA) SMC 24 28 52

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

MBB | Gaels Grind Past Lions to Reach WCC Semis

LAS VEGAS — Saint Mary's grinded past Loyola Marymount 52-47 in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament to make the semifinal round for the 18th time in the past 19 seasons. The Gaels will now face No. 1 Gonzaga on Monday at 6 p.m. on ESPN. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Logan Johnson was the difference maker for Saint Mary's as he went for a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The junior was just one point shy of his career-high set earlier this season and played all 40 minutes in the win. 

The Gaels held LMU to shoot just 37 percent in the game and 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. SMC forced the Lions to commit 18 turnovers and picked up seven steals. When the two teams met earlier this season in Los Angeles, Saint Mary's defense caused 27 LMU turnovers. 

Tommy Kuhse was the team's other double-digit scorer with 12 points. Matthias Tass added eight points and eight rebounds while Dan Fotu tacked on the final seven points. SMC needed just four players to score to get the win and five Gaels played over 31 minutes. 

LMU led early in the contest but at 10:59 in the first half, Tass hit two free throws to give the Gaels a lead they would never relinquish. 

Saint Mary's was up by three heading into halftime and would go up by nine midway through the second half after an 8-0 run. After LMU clawed back to tie the game with 7:33 to play, the Gaels reeled off another 7-0 run to separate. SMC maintained a two-possession lead for the remainder of the contest. 

Eli Scott led the Lions with 18 points while Matthias Markusson added 14 more. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW
31: Saint Mary's led for over 31 minutes in the ballgame. 
12: The Gaels scored 12 points on the fastbreak compared to just four by LMU. 
16: SMC totaled 16 points off the 18 Lions' turnovers. 
9: Johnson has now scored 10 or more points in the last nine games. 

UP NEXT: NO. 1 GONZAGA
Saint Mary's now faces GU in the semifinals on Monday. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN at 6 p.m. 

#GaelsRise 
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