MORAGA, Calif. — The rivalry between Saint Mary's and BYU might not be as old as some others, but it is one of the fiercest on the West Coast. On Saturday night in Moraga, these two programs played in what will be their final WCC matchup against each other. Inside of a red-clad University Credit Union Pavilion, No. 17 Saint Mary's emerged with one final win in the rivalry, taking down BYU 71-65 to improve to 24-5 on the season, and a WCC-best 13-1 in league play. The Cougars drop to 16-14 and 6-9 in conference games.
 
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
It was a Johnson & Johnson show in the first half, with Spencer Johnson and Logan Johnson trading blows. Spencer had a BYU-best 12 points in the first half, and was hitting shots from seemingly everywhere, going 5-7 from the floor while making both shots from beyond the arc. Logan was just a shade better, though, going 7-10 from the floor for 14 total first half points. They were the primary source of offense early on, but as the game progressed, only one Johnson kept up the scoring.
 
CLUTCH PLAYERS MAKE CLUTCH PLAYS
Johnson and Aidan Mahaney kept the energy up in the second half and if it weren't for some big plays made by both of them, the outcome might have been different. Mahaney spurred a 7-0 run midway through the second half with a three-pointer, his first of the game, and then a separate 7-0 run by the Gaels made it a 59-46 lead with 7:41 remaining. That run was aided by Johnson, who had a wide-open dunk up the baseline to start it, and then he added two more layups for good measure.
 
They were shining bright late in the game as well, as BYU clawed back into the game. A 13-point lead became a 63-62 game with just 1:59 remaining, but Johnson and Mahaney came to play. Johnson got another tough finish to make it 65-62, and then after a Gaels stop, Mahaney hit a left-wing three that essentially iced the game with 46 seconds left on the clock.
 
ODDS AND ENDS
With the loss, BYU finishes just 2-10 in Moraga as members of the WCC, their worst road mark against a WCC school…behind the 27 from Johnson and 16 from Mahaney, Mitchell Saxen scored 13 points while tying for the team lead with seven rebounds and two assists…the Gaels only turned it over seven times, and racked up 40 of their points in the paint…SMC won the game despite BYU shooting better from three-point range and the free throw line…the Gaels made nearly twice as many free throws (15-8) as the Cougars.  
UP NEXT
The final week of the regular season is about as jam-packed as it can be, with two very different, yet important games. First up is the Gaels only game against the Pacific Tigers this season, on Thursday night at 7:00 pm inside University Credit Union Pavilion. That game will serve as Senior Night for SMC (final home game of the year). The first 1,000 fans will receive a Corbin Burnes SMC Baseball Gnome and the first 500 fans will receive a Randy Bennett 500 Win T-Shirt, all presented by Common Interest Management. Then the Gaels head to Spokane for a game that could decide the regular season championship in the WCC, with top-off against No. 13 Gonzaga set for 7:00 pm on Saturday night. That game has also bene picked up by ESPN for College Gameday.