SAN JOSE, Calif. - Saint Mary's fell behind the eight ball again in the first half but forced 15+ turnovers for the sixth time this season to make a late surge. They would take their first lead of the game in the third quarter and after going down by nine late in the fourth,
Maia Jones would connect on back-to-back three's to cut the deficit to three with 40 seconds remaining. San Jose State would get a clutch layup on the other end to help ice the game, pushing their lead to two possessions with under twenty seconds to play. As a result, the Spartans earned their first ever victory over the Gaels, now 1-12 in the all-time series dating back to 1988.
FIRST HALF SMC 17-24 SJSU
The offense got off to a slow start for Saint Mary's, putting up just six points in the first quarter. Despite an 11-4 run to start the game for San Jose State, the Gaels defense would allow just two points in the final five minutes of the quarter to keep the deficit at seven.
The Gaels would start the second quarter on a 5-0 run that began with a three ball from
Ella Wedin. Wedin ranks second on the team shooting 35% from beyond the arc on the season. After the lead got back to nine later in the quarter, some aggressive play from
Maia Jones would allow her to knock down a pair of free throws to keep the deficit at seven points at the break.
One of the big stats at the half came in the rebounding category as the Spartans out-rebounded the Gaels 32-12 in the first twenty minutes of the game and led in second chance points, 13-2. Saint Mary's played a relatively clean half, only turning the ball over four times, but were just 6-25 from the field and 1-9 from three.
FINAL SMC 46-51 SJSU
Needing a spark out of the break, Saint Mary's would get one from freshman forward
Edie Clarke. Clarke did make her third start of the season but really made her impact felt in the second half with seven points on 3-3 shooting. The Gaels started the half with a swift 5-0 run that included a three ball from
Kennedy Johnson to make it a two-point game.
Head coach
Jeff Cammon also came out of the break in a 1-3-1 zone featuring Clarke at the top that really disrupted the Spartans offense. Saint Mary's would grab their first lead of the game with five straight points from Clarke that included an and-one and a layup in transition.
The Spartans would respond though late in the quarter with a crucial 14-2 scoring run that went into the fourth to take a ten point lead, their largest of the game. Down nine with under a minute to play, the Gaels would get some late heroics from
Maia Jones who connected on back-to-back three's to make it a one possession game with 40 seconds remaining. Jones hit a three in transition and then Johnson forced a turnover on the in-bound that led to another quick strike to get them back in the game.
After a timeout from Cammon, the Gaels needed one stop to get a chance to tie the game and potentially force overtime. However, San Jose State would convert a layup late in the shot clock to help ice the game with 14 seconds remaining. The Gaels would fall 51-46 for their second straight loss after falling to Riverside at home the week prior.
The glass was a big storyline on the night as Saint Mary's gave up a season high 51 rebounds, most in a game since 2022. On the flip side, they would give up a season low 10 turnovers and outscore the Spartans 23-8 in points off turnovers. They were also 10-11 from the charity stripe but finished the night under 30% from the field for the first time this season.
Kennedy Johnson came alive down the stretch to finish with a team high 14 points while
Maia Jones led all bench scorers with 12 points on 4-10 shooting. The Gaels held the Spartans to just 34% shooting and 21% from three but were 4-21 themselves from beyond the arc for 19%, their second lowest percentage of the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 4-4 overall after surrendering their first ever defeat to San Jose State in their 13 meetings all-time. They will return to UCU Pavilion this Saturday to take on Cal Baptist at 2:00 PM. Live stats and ticket links can be found at smcgaels.com and you can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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