MORAGA, Calif. — Saturday night was a special night inside University Credit Union Pavilion. No. 23 Saint Mary's Men's Basketball set out to secure an undefeated season at home, but had to square off with No. 1 Gonzaga in order to accomplish history. With a raucous, sellout crowd aiding the Gaels, and the energy from Senior Night on their side, Saint Mary's shocked the country and took down the top-ranked Bulldogs with a 67-57 final. The Gaels cap off that perfect season at home and end the regular season with a record of 24-6 (12-3) while sending Gonzaga to 24-3 (15-1).
 
ELECTRICITY
The start to the ballgame was about as perfect as it could get for Saint Mary's, as the Gaels jumped out in front with the first eight points of the game. Tommy Kuhse got the place going with a layup in the paint, and then Alex Ducas answered with a tough finish of his own. Kuhse hit another, and then Matthias Tass got in the paint for an easy bucket, and suddenly it was 8-0. The Gaels led by as many as 15 points in the first half, at 31-16, after a Jabe Mullins fast-break layup sent the Pavilion into pure pandemonium.
 
MAINTAINING THE MARGIN
The only team better than the Gaels in the second half of games this season in the WCC has been Gonzaga, and the Zags did make it a six-point game with just over two minutes remaining. Along the way, the Gaels had some massive shots that kept the energy high and the lead in tow. Ducas hit a three-pointer with 7:43 remaining after Gonzaga had pulled within 10 points for the first time in the second half, putting SMC up 53-40. With Gonzaga back within seven points with under four minutes remaining, Kyle Bowen hit a massive three-pointer to ignite the crowd and put the Gaels up 60-50. Bowen then hit the dagger with 1:57 remaining, putting the Gaels up by nine (63-54) after Gonzaga had closed to within six. Those three-pointers were Bowen's first made shots of the night.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Kuhse was the lead-man again for Saint Mary's, as he scored 14 points on the night, grabbed six rebounds, and added four assists. He was joined by Matthias Tass (13 points), Logan Johnson (10 points, 8 rebounds), and Ducas (10 points) as the leading scorers for a Gaels offense that outshined Gonzaga. The only two players to score off the bench, Mullins and Mitchell Saxen, were also huge. Mullins was 3-3 from the floor en route to his seven points, and added two steals. Saxen scored seven points as well, grabbed four rebounds, and set a career-best with three blocks.
 
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Saint Mary's leads the NCAA in fewest assists allowed per basket, and they limited Gonzaga to just four assists on Saturday night…the 36.7% field goal percentage was a season-low for the Zags…Saint Mary's out-rebounded Gonzaga 37-33 and held a 40-28 advantage on points in the paint…the Gaels never trailed in the game, scoring the first eight points and never letting Gonzaga come closer than three points.
 
THE BIG FACTS
With the win, Saint Mary's extended its home winning streak to 18 overall games dating back to the 2020-21 season, and they capped off a perfect 16-0 season inside University Credit Union Pavilion…this marks the first undefeated season at home in Saint Mary's history…Gonzaga has only scored fewer than 60 points in three games over the last seven seasons, and all three have come against the Gaels…this is the second time that Saint Mary's has beaten Gonzaga when they are the top-ranked team in the country, with the other time coming in the WCC Championship game in 2019.  
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will enjoy some time off before their first game of the 2022 West Coast Conference Tournament. As the tournament's No. 2 seed, Saint Mary's will not play until Monday night against the highest remaining seed. That means the Gaels are just one win away from the WCC Championship game, which would be played on Tuesday night. Tip-off of their game on Monday night will take place at 8:30 pm PT on ESPN2. The Championship game is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT on ESPN. All games will be played at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.