MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball had a clear mission heading into Thursday night's contest against Vermont: keep the winning streak at home alive. Entering the night, the Gaels had tied the longest home winning streak in school history with 19, a streak that lasted nearly 13 months from January 16, 2010 until February 5, 2011. The Gaels made history on Thursday night, beating Vermont 79-53 for its 20^th-consecutive home victory, now the longest home winning streak in Gaels history.
 
CLOSING THE FIRST HALF
Coming into the game, the Gaels knew that Vermont would be a stout opponent. The Catamounts, like the Gaels, had made the NCAA Tournament one season ago, and SMC had a target on its back. That's how the early portion of this game played out, with Vermont holding a 23-22 lead with under five minutes remaining in the first half. Saint Mary's then closed out the first half in about as good a way as possible, holding Vermont without a field goal en route to a 13-1 run in the final 4:39 of the half. Augustas Marciulions was a key driving force there, scoring five points, and Alex Ducas knocked down a three as part of six points scored during that run. What was a one-point deficit suddenly turned into a 35-24 halftime advantage.
 
ABSOLUTE EFFICIENCY
If the offense needed work at halftime, they certainly made the right adjustments in the locker room. The Gaels offense was hardly offbeat in the second half, shooting an incredible 63% from the floor (17-27), while making 6-9 from beyond the arc. The real shining star of the second half was Luke Barrett, who embodied that efficiency all night long. He made all three of his shots in the second half, which all came from distance, and all came in the span of about 1:30 on the clock. Nine of 10 Gaels who played in the second half scored.
 
IT TAKES FIVE
The fact that nobody scored more than 10 points in the second half is a testament to how the Gaels spread out the offense on Thursday night. Five different Gaels reached double-digits in the win, with Logan Johnson leading the way with 15 points, while adding seven rebounds. He was joined in the double-digits column with Alex Ducas (14 points, career-best four assists), Barrett 12 points, 4-4 shooting), Mitchell Saxen (11 points, 5-7 shooting), and Kyle Bowen (10 points). This marks the first time the Gaels have had five different players score at least 10 points in a game since January 29, 2022 when SMC had five with 10+ in an 81-57 home win over Pepperdine.
 
20 IN A ROW
With the win, Saint Mary's now has broken the all-time record for most consecutive home wins, snapping a record that had stood for over 10 years. The previous record began with a 77-72 win over Portland on January 16, 2010 and ended with a loss to No. 25 Utah State on February 19, 2011. The current home winning streak actually spans three seasons, with it beginning on February 22, 2021 against Pepperdine. The streak is now tied for the third-longest active home winning streak in the country, with just Gonzaga (68) and Texas Tech (23) having longer streaks. Kentucky and Arizona also have current 20-game home winning streaks.  
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will look to build off the 2-0 start, and build up the home winning streak on Sunday evening when they host North Texas inside University Credit Union Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm between the two programs, who both have had recent success in the NCAA Tournament. The Mean Green made the dance in 2021 and won a game in the first round as a No. 13 seed. Sunday's matchup is the first-ever matchup between these two programs.