DENVER – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball won the final three quarters at Denver University on Thursday night for a 61-56 comeback win over the Pioneers.
 
If taking on the Cal State East Bay Pioneers in SMC's last game was like a big leaguer going down a level to get their swing right, the start of the game versus the Denver Pioneers saw the Gaels miss on some fastballs down the middle.
 
Saint Mary's struggled offensively to start the game, including missing some open layups, even on fast break opportunities. They found themselves down by 11 to start the second quarter before going on a 11-0 run.
 
A couple of layups from Addison Wedin to start the quarter helped give the Gaels some offensive stability before the run started with a basket and the foul for Tayla Dalton. The three-point play cut it the deficit to eight with 6:40 to go in the second frame, and gave the Gaels some momentum.
 
Makena Mastora hit a three from the wing, Ali Bamberger made a layup, and Leia Hanafin tied it with a three midway through the second quarter to cap the 11-0 run and force Denver to take a time out. A Bamberger layup out of the stoppage gave the Gaels a 25-23 lead with 4:20 to go in the second to keep the run going.
 
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
Saint Mary's would go into the half trailing by one at 32-31, but take back the lead on back-to-back buckets from Wedin and Bamberger to start the second half. The teams would trade baskets for the majority of a third quarter that featured seven lead changes and five ties. But another three-point play the hard way by Dalton put Saint Mary's up 48-45 in the final minute of the quarter to take a three-point lead in to the fourth.
 
The mile-high altitude didn't seem to faze Saint Mary's as they got stronger as the game went on. The Gaels went up 57-49 with 6:27 to go on back-to-back jumpers from Zeryhia Aokuso. The first featured a little "Dream Shake" from the Texas native before she turned and hit a fade-away jumper. On the second basket she split two defenders and pulled up from just inside the free-throw line for the Gaels largest lead of the game.
 
The Pioneers cut it to four with 2:14 to play, but Aokuso delivered again with a layup this time to push it back to six at 59-53 with 1:41 left to play. Denver cut it to four with a bucket and a foul of their own with just over a minute to go, but the Gaels would play keep away on their next possession.
 
Even after a pair of missed shots, Wedin and Bamberger would gather offensive rebounds before forcing the Pioneers to foul. Dalton would hit a pair of free-throws to put away the game for the Gaels for their second two-game winning streak of the season.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Dalton and Mastora each finished with 12 points to lead the Gaels, with Aokuso right behind them with 10. Hannah Rapp and Bamberger each finished with six boards to lead the team, and Bamberger and Dalton led the team in assists with four each.
 
SMC won the rebounding battle 32-26, making them 2-0 this season when the control the boards. The shot a whopping 58.3% from the field including 3 of 8 on threes, while holding the Pioneers to 30.6% from the floor.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will finish off non-conference play by hosting San Jose State on Friday, December 29 at 1:00 p.m.
 
#GaelsRise — 2023-24 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.