IRVINE, Calif. - The Gaels went down to the wire again on Saturday night but fell by three to reigning Big West Tournament champions UC Irvine, 61-64. Saint Mary's held a four-point lead at the half, shooting over 50% from the field and knocking down five three pointers. Irvine would keep the game within striking distance though and go on to outscore the Gaels 24-16 in the fourth quarter to pull off the come-from-behind victory.
Kennedy Johnson led the team with 17 points and eight boards while
Emily Foy and
Abigail Shoff combined for 25 as the team's next best scorers.
FIRST HALF 30-26 UCI
Saint Mary's got off to a scorching start in the first quarter, going 8-11 from the field. More surprisingly, the Gaels were also 3-4 from three point range, not typically their style offensively.
Kennedy Johnson knocked down a pair of three pointers and five other players would get their name on the score sheet for a balanced attack early on.
Defensively, head coach
Jeff Cammon and his group held the Anteaters to 30% shooting in that first quarter, forcing several contested shots. They would showcase more of the same in the second quarter as Irvine shot a game low 25%, making just four shots and shooting under 25% from three. Both teams only combined for 21 points though in the second quarter to keep the deficit at just four points for UC Irvine.
Emily Foy and
Maia Jones would connect on three pointers in the second quarter to help preserve their lead, but both teams went cold as there was just one made field goal over the final three minutes of the half.
FINAL SMC 61-64 UCI
Both teams would put up nearly identical numbers in the third quarter but Saint Mary's would push the lead to five heading into the fourth. The final ten minutes would feature eight lead changes but the difference would come at the stripe for UC Irvine. The Anteaters were 9-11 from the free throw line and took advantage of some aggressive defensive play from the Gaels. Their final six points would all come from the charity stripe including a clutch pair of free throws from Deja Lee to give them a one-point lead with 32 seconds remaining.
Kennedy Johnson was dominant in the fourth quarter, finishing with nine points including a stretch of eight straight points to give the Gaels a 56-53 lead with four minutes remaining. After trading buckets, a pair of made free throws from Irvine would give them a two-point lead with 1:32 remaining. Two possessions later and after getting a defensive stop, Saint Mary's would answer with a clutch three pointer from
Emily Foy to give them a one-point lead with 35 seconds left on the clock.
With the win in sight, Irvine would come back down the floor after a timeout and draw a foul early in the possession to send them to the free throw line. Deja Lee would hit both to retake the lead with 32 seconds remaining. The Gaels would get one more attempt from Foy on the ensuing possession but her shot attempt would rattle off the front end and fall to an Anteater to seal the win. Two more made free throws after the intentional foul would give Irvine the 64-61 victory.
Ironically enough, Saint Mary's has shot over 40% from the field in all four games this season but are 2-2 over that stretch. They finished Saturday's game 49% from the field compared to Irvine's 34%, but the Anteaters made double the amount of free throws as the key difference down the stretch. Johnson finished with a game high 17 points and eight rebounds as she has finished in double figures in all four games as a Gael.
Emily Foy followed with 13 points and a season high three made three pointers while
Abigail Shoff put up 12 and six and leads the team with 26 rebounds on the season.
Melesungu Afeaki led all bench scorers with six points, but Irvine's bench outscored the Gaels 15-8.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 2-2 after splitting their first true road trip of the season. They will fly to Hawaii next week to compete in the Bank of Hawaii Classic, taking on Eastern Washington and Louisiana Monroe. Game times, tournament information, ticket and live stats links can all be found at smcgaels.com.
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