LOS ANGELES – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball rallied all the way back from a 19-point deficit to take the lead early in the fourth at LMU Saturday, before the Lions closed the game out on a 15-2 run to sweep the season series in a 79-66 loss for the Gaels.
 
SMC's offense was working early on, but the defense struggled to slow down the LMU attack in a first quarter that the Lions won 31-18, even though the Gaels were 4 of 5 from deep and 7 of 15 from the field.
 
The Gaels would trail 44-25 with 4:07 to go at the half, but trimmed it down to 11 at the half via to a 9-0 run capped off by an Ali Bamberger layup.
 
THE COMEBACK CONTINUED
Saint Mary's would finish the third on a 12-3 run to make it just a 55-53 lead for LMU. The Gaels won that third 17-8 and six different SMC players scored.
 
An LMU turnover lead to a Hannah Rapp basket that made it a one-point game just 1:15 into the fourth. Taycee Wedin would hit a three from the wing to tie the game at 59-59, as the bench erupted to her left.
 
Clair Steele stepped into an open three and drained it to give Saint Mary's their first lead since the first two minutes of the game, and made it 62-61 SMC just three minutes into the fourth. The Lions would get the lead back on their next possession, but Leia Hanafin would tie it again.
 
Hanafin cut to the basket as Rapp zipped a pass from the top of the key to her fellow Melbourne native in the paint. Hanafin backed in with a dribble and kissed it off the glass to tie the game at 64-64 with 6:26 to go.
 
SECOND CHANCES
But after a pair of LMU free throws gave them back the lead, a second-chance opportunity after the Lions after an offensive rebound led to a three to make it 69-64 LMU.
 
That was followed by a block of a Gaels layup attempt on other end, and LMU hit a three to extend their lead to 72-64 just three minutes after SMC took the lead.
 
A layup by Steele cut it back to 72-66 but another offensive rebound for the Lions with 49.2 seconds left led to an LMU free throw to put them up by seven.
 
The Gaels' ensuing inbound sailed high for a turnover followed by two more Lions free throws. Saint Mary's would unfortunately miss a pair of three-point attempts and LMU would hit four more free throws, sealing the 79-66 win.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Saint Mary's had four players score in double figures, led by Taycee Wedin's 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting and 4 of 11 on threes.
 
Hannah Rapp had 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting, including 2 for 2 from deep, as did Clair Steele who shot 4 of 7 from the floor.
 
Ali Bamberger finished with 11 points along with nine rebounds to lead the Gaels, and Leia Hanafin had nine assists to led the team to go along with seven boards.
 
LMU won the rebounding battle by seven and finished even in turnovers.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels return home to host San Francisco on Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m.