ANAHEIM — The championship game of the of the 2022 Paycom Wooden Legacy had just about everything a fan could ask for. There were some big shots, there were great defensive plays, and the game went all the way into overtime. In the end, the battle between Saint Mary's and Washington came down to the team that made more shots, and that team was Washington. In overtime, Washington emerged victorious and handed the Gaels their first loss of the season, with a 68-64 final inside the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.
 
INVERSE
So often during the season, the Gaels have been great at coming out of the gates with a full-head of steam, and pulling out to large leads. That was not the case on Thursday night, as the Gaels trailed by six points at halftime, their first halftime deficit of the year. There were periods where SMC was in front, including midway through the period when Joshua Jefferson was subbed into the game, and quickly hit a pair of mid-range jump shots to put the Gaels up 13-11. On the next Gaels possession, it was Harry Wessels finishing off the glass to make it 15-12, their largest lead of the half. Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, Washington followed it with a 9-0 run and never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the half.
 
CLAWING BACK IN THE SECOND
Washington maintained their advantage for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the Gaels eventually found a way to break their zone and starting making a few shots. Down five with 9:30 to go, Aidan Mahaney drilled a three and then Kyle Bowen followed on the next possession with a layup off the glass to tie the game with 8:46 remaining. After the Huskies pulled ahead by four again, the Gaels came back to take the lead on another Mahaney three and then consecutive layups from Saxen to put the Gaels up 54-51. That lead was pushed to five after Alex Ducas hit four free throws over two possessions, giving the Gaels a 58-53 lead with 1:43 to go. However, a quick Washington jumper followed by a layup plus a free throw tied the game with less than a minute to go and sent the game into OT.
 
OVERTIME FLOW
Saint Mary's came out in overtime and made their first shot, with Mahaney pulling up from mid-range to put the Gaels up, but it was answered a minute later by a Washington three. Ducas again got to the line with 2:56 to go and put the Gaels up 62-61 on free throws, but that was the last lead SMC held. Washington scored the next six points, and closed the game by scoring seven of the final nine to ice the game and emerge with the Wooden Legacy title.
 
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
Saint Mary's forced 23 Washington turnovers but still lost the game, their first game since January 22, 2011 when forcing 20+ turnovers and losing…Saxen was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 19 points for the second-straight game…part of the reason the Gaels lost was an inability to make threes, going just 6-29 (20.7%) from beyond the arc…Ducas got up to 13 points in the game, while Mahaney had 11 and Bowen recorded 10 with four assists…the Gaels had 15 assists on 24 made shots…this was the first SMC overtime game since the quarterfinals of the 2020 WCC Tournament, when the Gaels beat Pepperdine 89-82 in 2OT.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will enjoy a little time off before their next game, a home contest against New Mexico on November 30, a Wednesday night. It should be an eventful day on campus and inside University Credit Union Pavilion, as the Gaels are hosting the NCAA Tournament championship trophy. Fans will be able to take photos with the trophy that all teams in the country are vying for, while getting to see the Gaels attempt to get back on track and keep their home winning streak alive. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.