MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball controlled the second half against UC Irvine on Tuesday night, defeating the Anteaters 52-37 in UCU Pavilion. Addison Wedin led all scorers with 15 points and the Gaels kept UCI to just 27.5% shooting on the night.
 
The Gaels opened the game on an 8-0 run and finished the first quarter up 19-8. They extended their lead to 13 points in the second quarter on a layup by Maia Jones after a spin move into the lane, and again on Nadia Bernard's first collegiate bucket with 5:09 to go in the first half.
 
The Anteaters would go on a 9-0 run though to end the half though, and make it a 26-22 game at the break after keeping SMC to just seven points in the second quarter.
 
The third quarter belonged to Addi Wedin however, as she scored eight of her 15 points in the third.  After Ali Bamberger got the scoring started with a three from the top of the key to extend the lead to seven, UC Irvine would cut it back down to four just two minutes later.
 
But Wedin hit three pointers on consecutive possessions for the Gaels to get the lead back up to nine, and Tayla Dalton would hit a pair of free throws with less than a minute to go in the third to put Saint Mary's back up by double digits. SMC shot 50% in the third (5 of 10) including 3 of six from deep.
 
Layups by Leia Hanafin and Dalton put the lead up to 14 in the fourth quarter and a layup and foul by Makena Mastora sealed the win for the Gaels for the 15-point victory.

Saint Mary's kept Big West Preseason All-conference Team member Nikki Tom scoreless on the night, and didn't allow an Anteater to finish in double figures scoring, while committing two fewer turnovers than UC Irvine.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Wedin was 6 of 13 from the floor and 3 of 6 from three-point range and also led the Gaels in rebounds with six.
 
Dalton also finished in double figures and was the game's second leading scorer with 10 points on 3 of 7 shooting and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. Zeryhia Aokuso led the team in assists with five.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will head to Texas to take on Rice University in Houston on Sunday, November 19 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
 
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