STOCKTON, Calif. - A rollercoaster of a game had to be decided in overtime and it was reigning WCC Freshman of the Year
Zeryhia Aokuso who played the hero and hit the turnaround jumper as time expired to give Saint Mary's the wild 80-78 overtime win over Pacific. The Gaels overcame a 16-point deficit and hit big shot after big shot down the stretch to help force overtime.
Emily Foy caught fire from beyond the arc and went 4-7 from three in the second half to give them their first lead of the game. After Pacific's guard Liz Smith hit a three at the buzzer in regulation to send it to overtime, the Gaels went 7-8 from the free throw line with some aggressive play and then got a stop on the defensive end with 1.3 remaining. After a timeout and advancing the ball into the front court, Aokuso would get the in bounds in the post and hit the fadeaway jumper for the game winner. Aokuso finished with a season high 16 points while
Kennedy Johnson contributed with 12 points and five boards.
FIRST HALF SMC 19-28 PAC
Saint Mary's was plagued by a slow start once again as Pacific opened up the contest on an 8-0 run.
Kennedy Johnson kept the Gaels within striking distance though with four points in the first quarter.
Head coach
Jeff Cammon did make two changes to the team's starting lineup after starting 2-0 in conference play last week, but he would quickly get
Maia Jones and
Emily Foy back on the floor and they would convert a pair of reverse layups to make it an eight point game after the first.
Pacific came out with some pressure of their own to start the second quarter, some full court press would force tough contested shots from the Gaels and a 5-0 run would cause Cammon to use an early timeout. Tiger's senior guard Liz Smith was solid from three, going 3-6 in the first half to help build a 14-point lead.
Johnson started out hot for Saint Mary's, scoring six of their first eleven points. After starting in zone the Gaels would switch to man and have much better success defensively. They went on to hold the Tigers to just 36% shooting in the second and one made three pointer. On the flip side, SMC bounced back to go 5-11 from the field and found themselves down nine at the break.
Jada Hunter was a great spark plug off the bench for the Gaels finishing the half with four points and some solid defense. Hunter and Jones combined for eight first half points off the bench as Saint Mary's outscored Pacific 10-1 in bench scoring.
REGULATION SMC 69-69 PAC
After starting 0-8 from three,
Maia Jones would connect on a triple to make it an eight point game early in the third. The team's energy and effort defensively picked up greatly in the third period but Pacific made several contested shots to build their lead. They would take a game high 16-point lead late in the third after going 7-10 from the field and 2-3 from three. However,
Zeryhia Aokuso would lead a nice late surge to end the quarter as the Gaels rattled off a 9-2 run to make it a nine point game heading into the fourth.
The story of the fourth quarter for Saint Mary's would be sophomore
Emily Foy who erupted for four three pointers and catapulted the Gaels in front 56-54 for their first lead of the night. Foy finished 4-8 from three to lead the team and hit big shot after big shot. The Gaels would hit three straight three pointers to tie the game at 54, two from Foy and one from
Abigail Shoff, before Aokuso hit a jumper in the lane off an offensive board from Johnson.
Saint Mary's took control of the game down the stretch and held a pair of four point leads inside the final two minutes. Pacific would catch a break though as Liz Smith would get fouled on a three point attempt with ten seconds remaining. After knocking down all three free throws, the Tigers would foul Jones intentionally and allow her to make a pair of clutch free throws to push the lead back to three.
On the next possession, Aokuso would get called for a hand check to send Smith back to the line but she would split the pair to make it a two-point game.
Emily Foy would get fouled next and split her free throws to leave the door open for Pacific. The Tigers would get two cracks at the tie after their first three missed off the front iron and went out of bounds for Saint Mary's. With just 1.2 seconds on the clock, the Gaels would inbound the ball deep in an effort to get a touch and run out the clock, but the ball would deflect off of Jones and out of bounds with 0.8 seconds left for Pacific.
As a result, Smith would catch the inbound and hit a deep three from the wing to tie the game as time expired. A lot of things had to go Pacific's way but after leading by as many as 16 points, they found a way to force overtime.
OVERTIME SMC 80-78 PAC
In similar fashion as the team's overtime win over Santa Clara, Saint Mary's was aggressive to the rim and went 5-6 in their first three possessions from the stripe to take a four point lead. Pacific would get back into the game though with back-to-back scores to take a 74-73 lead.
With the game tied at 76, Smith would drive to the hole and draw the foul, allowing her to hit a pair of free throws to take a 78-76 lead. On the ensuing inbound, Aokuso would go the length of the floor and convert a tough lefty handed layup to quickly tie the game with 15 seconds remaining. After a Pacific timeout, Saint Mary's would force a contested floater in the lane from Smith and secure the rebound with two seconds left.
Cammon would use his last timeout and advance the ball to the opposite side with a chance to win the game and complete the comeback.
Maia Jones would rifle a pass to Aokuso who was posting up on the block. Off the catch, Aokuso would spin and hit the turnaround jumper as time expired to walk off with a thrilling 80-78 overtime victory.
The Gaels continue to show grit and resilience after slow offensive starts. They were down by as many as 16 but some clutch three point shooting from Foy and tremendous playmaking from the likes of Aokuso, Johnson and Jones helped spark the comeback. Saint Mary's had four players in double figures for the first time this season with Jones leading the way with 23 points off the bench. SMC was able to shoot over 50% from the field in the second half and overtime combined and forced a season high 25 turnovers.
Aokuso had arguably her best overall game of the season with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Bench scoring and turnovers were key statistics in the game as the game came down to one stop and one score. Saint Mary's now improves to 3-0 in WCC play for the first time since 2014 and will look to match their 4-0 start from that season on Monday against San Diego.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improves to 7-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play after their third overtime win of the season. They will return to Moraga to take on San Diego on Monday, December 30th at 2:00 PM. Stream the game live on ESPN+ and get your tickets today at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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