MORAGA, Calif. — Things could not have gone much better for Saint Mary's Men's Basketball through five games. Not only have the Gaels beaten the teams in front of them through the first two weeks, but they have done so in convincing fashion. Saturday night was no exception, as the Gaels handed Hofstra a 76-48 defeat inside University Credit Union Pavilion, which was also the first loss this season for the Pride (4-1). The Gaels begin the year a perfect 5-0 at home, with their winning streak now standing at 23-straight home wins.
 
DOMINATING DEFENSE
Entering the night, Hofstra ranked ninth in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage, and the Gaels had struggled in that area defensively. That was not the case on Saturday night, with the Gaels defense holding Hofstra to just 1-16 from beyond the arc. The only three that was made came with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The defensive metrics for Saint Mary's continues to be impressive, as they now have the sixth-best defensive efficiency in the NCAA, per KenPom.
 
DUCAS DOMINATES
Continuing on the theme of domination, the Gaels saw a strong performance from Alex Ducas. He is the lone Gael to score 10+ points in every game, and he came alive on Saturday night, scoring 20 points in the win over Hofstra. He got most of his points from beyond the arc, going an impressive 6-7 from distance to rack up 18 of his points. 12 of his points came in the second half, where he was a clean 4-4 from downtown. Ducas shooting the basketball well is a key component to the Gaels success on offense moving forward, and he's been steady to start the new year.
 
GAME FLOW
Saint Mary's never let Hofstra get close in the second half, and steadily built the lead up in the first half. It was just a five-point SMC lead with six minutes remaining in the first half, but the Gaels closed out the half on a 15-4 run. Logan Johnson accounted for five of those points, including a dunk, and Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen each hit shots during that run. Saxen finished the game with his first collegiate double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) while Marciulionis set a a career-best with 14 points.
 
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Saint Mary's won the turnover battle again in a big way, only turning it over seven times, and forcing 16 Hofstra turnovers, which led to a 17-5 advantage in points off of turnovers…in addition to holding Hofstra to just one made three, the Pride only tallied two helpers in the game…SMC continues to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country, winning the battle 45-32 and grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second-chance points.  
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's heads out on the road for the first time during the 2022-23 season when they play in the 2022 Paycom Wooden Legacy on Wednesday and Thursday of Thanksgiving week. SMC will open up against Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, with tip-off scheduled for 9:00 pm on ESPN2. The Gaels will then face the winner of the Fresno State vs. Washington game, at either 7:00 pm (if they lose) or 9:30 pm (if they win).