FORT COLLINS, COLO. — A battle of two teams with conflicting styles is what we had on Saturday night, as the defensive juggernaut Gaels (5-5) made their way to Fort Collins to square off with the unbeaten high scoring Colorado State Rams (9-1). In this one, defense reigned supreme, as the Gaels downed the Rams 64-61, handing them their first loss of the 2023-24 campaign. 

The start of this matchup was reminiscent of the Gaels contest against Boise State eight days ago, as Colorado State got off to a 8-0 run in the first 2:13, prompting a Coach Randy Bennett timeout. Saint Mary's responded with a 24-6 run of their own, taking a double-digit lead on a long Augustas Marciulionis two. The Rams would counter back with a 12-1 run, bringing the score to 28-26 in favor of the hosts with three minutes to go in the half. This led to a mad scramble for momentum heading into the break, but the Gaels seized it as Mitchell Saxen ripped down an offensive rebound and scored a mid-range jumper at the horn, as Saint Mary's took a 33-32 lead into the locker room. Marciulionis was the standout in the first half with 11 points and three assists with no turnovers, as the Gaels shot 51.9% from the field.  

The defense shored up at the start of the second half, as the Gaels got out to a 55-46 lead, but then surrendered the lead after allowing an 11-1 run. Down 57-56 with two minutes remaining, the Gaels looked like a team on a mission. Sparked by a quick five points from Joshua Jefferson, the Gaels reaffirmed their lead at 61-57 and were able to hit their free throws and create defensive stops down the stretch to ice the game, eventually winning 64-61.

Augustus Marciulionis set a new career-mark with 18 points on 8-11 shooting. Joshua Jefferson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double, while Aidan Mahaney chipped in 10. The Gaels defense continued to shine, holding one of the top offenses in the country to just 61 points, their lowest tally this season. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE J-J
Sophomore Joshua Jefferson put together the best game of his young career, scoring a career-best 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds en route to his first ever double-double. Jefferson put up a solid seven point, five rebound effort in the first half, but exploded in the second half to the tune of nine points and eight boards, willing the Gaels to victory. Jefferson's biggest moments came with under two minutes left in this contest. Down by one, Jefferson called his own number, burying a midrange jumper to regive the Gaels the lead at 58-57. Then, following an Aidan Mahaney steal, Jefferson splashed a deep three off of a Jordan Ross feed to put the Gaels ahead by two possessions with a minute to go. While the bucket didn't completely put the game on ice, it was the surge the Gaels needed to close out the Rams. Jefferson now seems to have broken out of a brief two game slump, a happy sight to see for Saint Mary's coaches and fans alike. 

THE "GUS" IS LOOSE
After scoring a career-high 17 against Boise State eight days ago, Augustas Marciulionis bested his career-high scoring tally tonight, leading the Gaels with 18 in the victory. Marciulionis shot an incredible 8-11 from the field, burying threes and contested layups alike in his career night. Augustas also tied for the lead on the team with three assists and no turnovers. Coming into this matchup with Colorado State, there was much talk about Ram point guard Isaiah Stevens, who eventually put up 20 points and three assists, but turned the ball over six times. Augustas's ability to play with Stevens tit for tat was a big reason as to why the Gaels earned the victory.

SEND 'EM HOME SOBBING
For the first time since the 2017-18 season, the Gaels defeated a ranked opponent on the road. The last time Saint Mary's did this was in Spokane, defeating No. 13 Gonzaga 74-71. 

QUOTABLE
"We've had a tough schedule. We weren't put together to start the year for a couple reason, but anyhow, we've been building and building and I thought we were getting better. That was the whole point, we had guys who needed to get tougher, needed to get better in order to turn this thing around. This was the best team we've played and it was the best we've played so this was a good step in the right direction. Colorado State is a good team, they're really well coached, and they have a great crowd, this is a tough place to play." -- Head Coach Randy Bennett

UP NEXT
The Gaels will next take on UNLV in Phoenix as part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic. Tip-off for that one is set for 4 PM PST.

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

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