MORAGA, Calif. — The No. 18/19 Gaels (21-6, 12-0 WCC) can officially claim a victory against every WCC foe this season, defeating Pepperdine (10-17, 3-9 WCC) in their first of two meetings over the next three weeks, 103-59. The Waves hung tough with the Gaels for as long as they could, but the Gaels put together long stretches of defensive stops followed by open looks that allowed them to pull away midway through the first half. Despite a hefty lead, the Gaels kept the pedal to the metal the entire game, getting every single active player on the scorer's sheet en route to the 44 point victory.

It was a less than stellar start for the Gaels offense, who made just four of their first 13 shots, and held a narrow three point lead at the under 12 minute media timeout. Saint Mary's would shake out of their early slump however, to can 13 of their next 22 field goal attempts. An Alex Ducas half court heave went down as time expired in the first half, as the Gaels took a 16 point lead into the halftime break, 43-27. Ducas and Augustas Marciulionis both scored 14 in the first half, and combined to shoot 6-7 from beyond the arc. Aidan Mahaney scored five points and had a team-high five rebounds, while Mitchell Saxen had four points and a team leading four assists in the first frame. As a team, Saint Mary's shot 64% from three. 

The start of the second half would not mimic the start of the first half, as the Gaels seized momentum in the second frame from the get go, scoring 60 second half points on 76% shooting. Augustas Marciulionis matched his 14 first half points in the second frame, while Harry Wessels chipped in nine second half points. Jordan Ross was the Gaels leader in rebound and assists in the second half, racking up four of each. The Gaels scored 40 of their 60 second half points in the paint, and limited Pepperdine to just four total rebounds in the second half in a showing of pure power on the interior. 

Augustus Marciulionis scored a career high 28 points on 11-16 shooting from the field. Augustas added five rebounds and a team-high six assists for good measure. Alex Ducas scored 18 on 7-9 shooting, continuing his recent hot streak. Aidan Mahaney scored 13 with seven rebounds, Mitchell Saxen added a dozen points and five assists, and Mason Forbes didn't miss, going 5-5 from the field and 1-1 from the free throw line en route to an 11 point game. The Gaels shot their season best mark from the field (61.8%) and from three (63.2%) on the evening. 

HE CAN DO IT ALL
Augustas Marciulionis may have been the Gaels high scorer, setting a new career mark of 28 points, but scoring certainly wasn't his only contribution in this one. The junior point guard also reeled in five rebounds, his best mark in nearly a month, and dished out six assists without a single turnover. Over his last six contests, Augustas is averaging nearly 17 points per contest, three rebounds per game, and six assists per game, boasting a stellar 7.2 assist to turnover ratio over that stretch. 

GETTING EVERYBODY INVOLVED
For the first time this season, every single Gael who touched the court scored. Five different players scored in double figures, while six converted more than one field goal. Even more impressive, the Gaels were able to not only get every player who touched the floor a bucket, but they did so while playing every single active player on their roster. The last time the Gaels had every player who touched the floor score came in last season's regular season finale in Spokane, a game in which the Gaels fell to Gonzaga 77-68. 

ABOUT THOSE TRIPLE DIGITS
Tonight's 103 points were the second most scored by the Gaels in a non overtime WCC game dating back to 1996. The most the Gaels had scored against a WCC foe in regulation since 1996 sits at 104 points, also against Pepperdine in 2004. It was just the third time that the Gaels have scored in triple digits since 1996 against a WCC foe, with all three occasions happening against the Waves. 

UP NEXT
The Gaels will have a few extra days to rest up before welcoming the San Francisco Dons to town on Tuesday, February 20. Tip-off is set for 8 PM inside UCU Pavilion. 

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