SPOKANE, Wash. — In a highly-anticipated late-season matchup, No. 22 Saint Mary's went north to The Kennel to take on the second-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs for the first time this season. The two teams meet twice in the final three weeks of the regular season, and then perhaps again the following week at the WCC Tournament, and this was the seventh all-time game between the two where they are both ranked. On their home court, Gonzaga flexed their muscles despite a valiant defensive effort from SMC, beating the Gaels 74-58. Gonzaga improves to 21-2 (10-0) while the Gaels fall to 20-6 (8-3).
 
SLOW IT DOWN
One thing that Saint Mary's excels at when playing up-tempo offenses is preventing the other team from running up and down the court. That showed in the first half against Gonzaga, who plays with the second-fastest tempo, according to KenPom. The Gaels limited Gonzaga to just 36 points in the first half, slowing their offense down to just 32 possessions. The big men had strong first halves, which isn't surprising giving the tempo. Matthias Tass led SMC with eight points in the first half, while Drew Timme was up to his usual antics, scoring 15 points on 7-9 in the opening stanza.
 
OFFENSIVE SECOND
After the offense was a bit sluggish in the first half, scoring just 23 points, the Gaels adjusted and found some rhythm in the second half. The Gaels shot 48.4% in the second half, and 4-9 from beyond the arc. There were times when the offense was out-shooting Gonzaga, with Alex Ducas knocking down threes and Mitchell Saxen contributing in the paint for a few minutes. Getting themselves within relative striking distance, the Gaels held Gonzaga without a made field goal for nearly a six-minute stretch late in the second half, while nearly matching them shot for shot when they were going in. The lead was down to just eight points after a Tass dunk with 3:08 remaining, but the Gaels would not score again.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Despite the outcome, Saint Mary's saw a few of their veterans play big roles in the game. The man of the hour was Tommy Kuhse, who put on a show off the bench with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Kuhse now sits just five points away from 1,000 career-points. Tass was one of the constant performers in the first half and carried that throughout the game, with 14 points and five rebounds. After being blanked in the first half, Ducas showed out in a big way in the second half, exploding for 12 points in the second half, on a cumulative 5-10 shooting performance. Ducas also tied Tass and Kuhse with five boards.
 
AMONG OTHER NUMBERS
In terms of points, the Gaels held Gonzaga to their third-lowest point total of the season, and their fewest since December 18 against No. 25 Texas Tech…the Gaels were perfect for a while on free throws, going 7-9 for the game, as they've broken into the top-50 in the NCAA in free throw percentage…SMC won the turnover battle 10-6, tying a season-low with just six…the only team better in the WCC at second-half scoring margin is Gonzaga, and they pulled ahead to a 21-point margin after the break at one point.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's returns home for three of the final four games of the regular season, including a pair of games next week. First up, Saint Mary's will meet the San Francisco Dons for a rematch of their thrilling January 27 game. Tip-off of the Gaels and Dons meeting for the second time this season is set for Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm on NBC Sports Bay Area+. On Saturday night, the Gaels will host BYU in a Red-Out at 7:00 pm on the ESPN family of networks.
 
#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