Photo by: SMC Athletics / Emily Smith
MBB | Gaels Down Under 2022 – Day 4
8/7/2022 4:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SYDNEY — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball played the first of six games during their 2022 foreign tour on Sunday afternoon, and they hit the ground running in terms of success. Taking on the Hills Hornets of the NBL1 East, the Gaels blitzed the Hornets to the tune of a 22-3 run to close out the first quarter, en route to a 92-63 victory in their first competition since the NCAA Tournament in March.
Saint Mary's came out of the gates hot in the first quarter after trading buckets and trailing 3-2. Saint Mary's scored the next 19 points and closed out the quarter on a 22-3 run, taking a 24-6 lead into the second quarter. The numbers were particularly impressive defensively, where they held the Hornets to just 2-14 from the floor and out-rebounded them 17-5.
By halftime, the Hornets closed it to a 44-29 game, but they never got closer than 13 points in the second half. The Gaels eventually found their rhythm against offensively, pulling ahead by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter and closing the game out strong. All 11 players that suited up on Sunday saw at least 5:36 of game time, with no Gael playing more than 27 minutes.
A "welcome home" performance of sorts was in order for Alex Ducas, who got to be around family and put up a game-best 23 points for the Gaels on 7-13 from the floor and 4-6 from distance.
"It's always a great feeling. Being away from home is pretty hard, but being able to play at home in front of my family and friends has been amazing so far," mentioned Ducas. "I can't wait to see more people as we go along into each state."
Ducas was followed in scoring by Leemet Bockler and his 15 points, which included 3-8 from downtown, and Aidan Mahaney, who made his SMC debut and scored 14 points while adding a game-best six assists. Mitchell Saxen was strong on the defensive side, scoring a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds (10 in the first half).
"I thought it was great. Getting down with our defensive and everything, I still have a lot to learn," Mahaney said following the win. "All the guys have been helping me out, so it's been great. We just have to continue to build off of this game. There's obviously a lot of things we can clean up, but I'm looking forward to the rest of the games on this trip."
Following the game, the Gaels got a chance to see former Gael-greats Daniel Kickert and Jordan Hunter, who were both in attendance. Kickert was the second-ever Gael to hail from Australia, and was the program's leading scorer when he graduated (currently third-best in program history). Hunter owns the eighth-best shooting percentage in SMC history, and was the MVP of the 2019 WCC Tournament, which featured the Gaels knocking off No. 1 Gonzaga for the championship.
The Gaels are back it on Monday morning with the second game of the 2022 foreign tour. SMC will take on the University of Sydney at the home of the Sydney Comets, where the Gaels practiced upon their arrival on Thursday. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 10:00 am in Sydney, with a 5:00 pm tip-off in the Bay Area. There will be no radio or stream for the game. Fans next chance to catch the Gaels will be on August 9 against Melbourne United.
Saint Mary's 2022 Foreign Tour Game Schedule
Date Team Site Time (AEST/PT) Streaming
Aug. 7 Hills Hornets Castle Hill, Sydney Win, 93-62
Aug. 8 Univ. of Sydney Alexandria, Sydney 10:00 am/5:00 pm
Aug. 9 Melbourne United Keilor Park, Melb. 7:30 pm/2:30 am LISTEN
Aug. 10 SE Melb Phoenix Wantirna South, Melb.7:30 pm/2:30 am LISTEN
Aug. 12 Perth Wildcats Floreat, Perth TBA
Aug. 14 Joondalup Wolves Joondalup, Perth 5:00 pm/2:00 am LISTEN
Saint Mary's came out of the gates hot in the first quarter after trading buckets and trailing 3-2. Saint Mary's scored the next 19 points and closed out the quarter on a 22-3 run, taking a 24-6 lead into the second quarter. The numbers were particularly impressive defensively, where they held the Hornets to just 2-14 from the floor and out-rebounded them 17-5.
By halftime, the Hornets closed it to a 44-29 game, but they never got closer than 13 points in the second half. The Gaels eventually found their rhythm against offensively, pulling ahead by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter and closing the game out strong. All 11 players that suited up on Sunday saw at least 5:36 of game time, with no Gael playing more than 27 minutes.
A "welcome home" performance of sorts was in order for Alex Ducas, who got to be around family and put up a game-best 23 points for the Gaels on 7-13 from the floor and 4-6 from distance.
"It's always a great feeling. Being away from home is pretty hard, but being able to play at home in front of my family and friends has been amazing so far," mentioned Ducas. "I can't wait to see more people as we go along into each state."
Ducas was followed in scoring by Leemet Bockler and his 15 points, which included 3-8 from downtown, and Aidan Mahaney, who made his SMC debut and scored 14 points while adding a game-best six assists. Mitchell Saxen was strong on the defensive side, scoring a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds (10 in the first half).
"I thought it was great. Getting down with our defensive and everything, I still have a lot to learn," Mahaney said following the win. "All the guys have been helping me out, so it's been great. We just have to continue to build off of this game. There's obviously a lot of things we can clean up, but I'm looking forward to the rest of the games on this trip."
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Following the game, the Gaels got a chance to see former Gael-greats Daniel Kickert and Jordan Hunter, who were both in attendance. Kickert was the second-ever Gael to hail from Australia, and was the program's leading scorer when he graduated (currently third-best in program history). Hunter owns the eighth-best shooting percentage in SMC history, and was the MVP of the 2019 WCC Tournament, which featured the Gaels knocking off No. 1 Gonzaga for the championship.
The Gaels are back it on Monday morning with the second game of the 2022 foreign tour. SMC will take on the University of Sydney at the home of the Sydney Comets, where the Gaels practiced upon their arrival on Thursday. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 10:00 am in Sydney, with a 5:00 pm tip-off in the Bay Area. There will be no radio or stream for the game. Fans next chance to catch the Gaels will be on August 9 against Melbourne United.
Saint Mary's 2022 Foreign Tour Game Schedule
Date Team Site Time (AEST/PT) Streaming
Aug. 7 Hills Hornets Castle Hill, Sydney Win, 93-62
Aug. 8 Univ. of Sydney Alexandria, Sydney 10:00 am/5:00 pm
Aug. 9 Melbourne United Keilor Park, Melb. 7:30 pm/2:30 am LISTEN
Aug. 10 SE Melb Phoenix Wantirna South, Melb.7:30 pm/2:30 am LISTEN
Aug. 12 Perth Wildcats Floreat, Perth TBA
Aug. 14 Joondalup Wolves Joondalup, Perth 5:00 pm/2:00 am LISTEN
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