MORAGA, Calif. — The 23rd ranked Gaels (2-1) looked the part for the first 26 minutes of their home matchup with the Weber State Wildcats (2-0). Saint Mary's took an 11 point lead into the halftime break, and extended that to 16 with 13:48 in regulation. From that point, however, the game belonged to Weber State, closing out the game on a 30-10 run to secure a signature victory over the nationally ranked Gaels, 61-57. 

The Gaels looked to be in control in the first half, despite a hard fought battle from the Wildcats. Things got started with a 5-0 run for the Gaels generated completely by Aidan Mahaney on the offensive end, however, defense was the story early on, with Saint Mary's forcing three turnovers on the opening four Wildcat possessions. Joshua Jefferson completed a three-point play at the 12:24 mark to push the Gaels lead to double-digits at 16-6. Weber State would cut the deficit to six, going on a 6-2 run of their own, before Harry Wessels took it upon himself to be the Gaels firestarter. In his first four minutes on the court, Wessels tallied seven points on a perfect 3-3 from the field and two monstrous rejections, restoring the Gaels lead to double digits. Heading into the break, the Gaels held a 37-26 lead, holding an opponent below 30 points in the first half for the third consecutive time this season. 

The second half began seemingly better than the first. The Gaels were able to extend their lead to 16 in the first six minutes and change of the second frame, thanks to stifling defense and zero turnovers. At this point, however, Weber State caught their second wind, and quickly showed why they entered the season as favorites to win the Big Sky Conference. Connecting on eight of their next 11 field goal attempts, and forcing five Gael turnovers, the Wildcats were able to knot things up at 49 apiece. The Gaels would take their final lead at 51-49 on a Harry Wessels layup at the 5:18 mark of the second half, but momentum had already firmly swung in the direction of Weber State, and they were able to use that to close out the contest on a 12-6 run to earn the 61-57 slugfest victory. Down three with 11 seconds left, the Gaels did have a chance to tie things up, but an Aidan Mahaney triple went in and out, as did a putback layup attempt by Alex Ducas, effectively ending the contest. 

Aidan Mahaney and Harry Wessels tied for the lead in the scoring category for the Gaels, each with 11, while Alex Ducas scored 10. Joshua Jefferson ripped down eight rebounds to lead a furious rebounding campaign that saw the Gaels +15 on the boards. Mahaney and Augustas Marciulionis each gave out three assists while splitting time at the point guard position, while Wessels and Mitchell Saxen each had two rejections on the defensive front. 

WHAT A START FOR WESSELS!
Sophomore center Harry Wessels continues to be the most potent scoring option off the bench for Coach Bennett's squad. After scoring in double figures just once all of last season, the Aussie big man has scored in double-digits in each of the first three games of his sophomore season. Wessels has scored 11, 12, and 11 in his first three contests this season respectively, shooting an incredible 82.4% from the field (14-17). The center is also averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest and 1.7 blocks per game, truly showing his value off the bench. 

APPRECIATING THE SECOND CHANCES
The Gaels were +15 in the rebounding category tonight and +7 on the offensive glass. This led to 15 second chance points for Saint Mary's who used many of these extended possessions to build their early lead. Mitchell Saxen, Joshua Jefferson and Harry Wessels each had multiple offensive boards, as the Gaels are now averaging better than nine offensive rebounds and 18 second chance points per game. 

A TALE OF TWO HALVES
The differences between the Gaels first and second half performances were quite astonishing. After shooting 55.6% from the field in half one, Saint Mary's shot just 25% in the second. Meanwhile, Weber State was able to shoot 50% in the second half, after the Gaels held them to 29.6% in the first half. The Gaels did not have a single player score in double-figures in the second half, and only had one player, Mitchell Saxen, score more than one field goal. While the Gaels did not have a double-digit scorer in the first half either, Harry Wessels and Aidan Mahaney each scored nine, while Joshua Jefferson and Alex Ducas each hit a couple of shots as well, each accounting for five first half points. 

UP NEXT
The road doesn't get any easier for the Gaels, who will head to Las Vegas to take part in the Continental Tires Main Event. Their opening matchup of the tournament features defending National Runner-Up San Diego State. Despite the Aztecs hot finish last season, the Gaels were able to knock them off in Phoenix a year ago. Tip-off for the Gaels-Aztecs matchup is set for 6:30 PM on Friday, November 17. 

DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE. 

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