MORAGA, Calif. — There have been a lot of games in the head coaching career of Randy Bennett that have followed a similar path to Thursday's game, but none of those have been sweeter. As the 18^th-ranked Gaels hosted the San Francisco Dons in front of a sellout crowd, the Gaels turned in a gritty performance to outlast USF 68-59, producing the 500^th victory in the storied career of coach Bennett. The Gaels also won their 20^th game for the 15^th-straight season (2020-21 COVID-19 season excluded), improving to 20-4 and 9-0 in WCC play.
 
MADE FOR MORAGA
Few coaches have had the impact and success at one place that Randy Bennett has had. He took over a program that was 2-27, and in 22 years, has won 500 games. His 500 wins are the 26^th-most among active coaches, but is the seventh-most among all active coaches at their current institution. Only 25 coaches all-time have reached 500 wins at one school. Of his 500 wins, 299 have come at home, 233 have come in West Coast Conference play, and 36 have come against the San Francisco Dons. Saint Mary's has now won 20 or more games 16 times under Bennett, and just once in program history prior to his arrival. Bennett is a four-time WCC Coach of the Year and with the Gaels in first place in the conference, could be in position to add another award to his trophy case.
 
DRY SPELL
Coach Bennett's 500^th career win certainly didn't come easy, as the Gaels had one of their worst offensive performances of the season. Saint Mary's shot just 32.7% from the floor, easily their lowest shooting percentage of the season, and only made five shots in the second half, but still found a way to win the game. After leading by nine points at the half, the Gaels offense went ice cold in the second stanza, shooting 21.7% from the field, and allowed San Francisco to take a lead with less than four minutes to go.
 
WALK THE LINE
All of the offensive woes created some tense moments late in the game, but it came down to free throws, and the Gaels excelled at the line. Saint Mary's set season-bests in free throws made (32) and attempts (37), making an impressive 86.5% of their free throws. They made twice as many free throws as USF, and that arguably was the reason for the victory. The final seven points scored by the Gaels all came from the stripe, and 12 of their last 17. Augustas Marciulionis made seven free throws late in the game to go 9-10 overall, and Logan Johnson made seven free throws. The game featured the most free throws attempted by the Gaels in regulation since their NCAA Touranment win over VCU on March 16, 2017 (39), and their most makes at the line since February 26, 2011 vs. Portland (34).
 
MAKINGS OF 500
The historic night at the free throw line was aided by the Gaels going +16 on the glass, including an impressive 18-6 advantage on offensive rebounds, which led to a 22-8 advantage on second-chance points…Alex Ducas led the Gaels with 18 points, including 16 in the first half, while Aidan Mahaney added 17 despite fouling out late in the game…Mitchell Saxen recorded his second-straight double-double, this time scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds…Johnson is now one point shy of 1,000 in his SMC career after scoring 12 points…this marks the first win this season where the Gaels were outshot from the floor, beyond the arc, and the free throw line in the same game…for the second game in a row, all five Gaels to score reached double-digits.  
UP NEXT
A clash of the top two teams in the West Coast Conference wraps up the week as the Gaels and Gonzaga Bulldogs get together on Saturday night inside University Credit Union Pavilion. Both teams are ranked inside the top-20 in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, both teams have been at the top of the WCC all season, and both teams are coming into this game with momentum. Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham will have the call on ESPN at 7:30 pm. No tickets are available for the game but a watch party will be held inside the 1928 Pub.