MORAGA, Calif. — Make it 15 in a row! The No. 18 Saint Mary's Gaels (23-6, 14-0 WCC) continued their epic streak of consecutive victories, defeating the San Diego Toreros (16-13, 6-8 WCC) 88-62, to guarantee at least a portion of the WCC Regular Season Title for the second consecutive season. Of course, the Gaels have their eyes set on the next hurdle, an outright regular season conference title, that would be clinched with one more victory or one more Gonzaga loss. Tonight's win guaranteed the Gaels a bye all the way to the WCC Tournament semifinals, set to take place on Monday, March 11. Their 14th consecutive conference victory set a new program record, just one of the numerous impressive feats reached in tonight's victory.   

The Gaels opened the game shooting 10-12 from the field, to build a 25-13 lead at the 10:30 mark. The combination of stellar ball movement and dominance in the interior offensively led to the Gaels gaudy early offensive numbers. The shooting cooled off just a tick, however, the Gaels still went into the break with a 57% clip and a 13 point lead at 43-30. Mitchell Saxen led the charge with 12 points on 5-6 shooting. Aidan Mahaney added nine, while Alex Ducas chipped in six points and six rebounds, and Augustas Marciulionis contributed six points and seven assists. In total, the Gaels dished out 14 assists on 17 made first half buckets. 

The offensive production continued in the second half, as the Gaels picked up their first 20+ point lead at 58-37 going into the first media timeout. That lead ballooned to as many as 31 with a minute to go, as the Gaels kept the Toreros at a comfortable distance throughout the entire second half. The second frame belonged to Alex Ducas, who knocked down 4-5 three point attempts and ripped down six rebounds. Mitchell Saxen continued his domination of the Toreros on the inside, with eight points and five rebounds in the second half, while Augustas Marciulionis went for seven points and four assists in the second. The Gaels shot better than 50% from beyond the arc in the second half, after being limited to just 33% in the first half from three. 

Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with 20 points, shooting 8-11 from the field. Saxen also added seven rebounds and two blocks, making his presence felt in the trenches. Alex Ducas scored 18 points with all 18 coming from beyond the arc on 6-7 shooting from deep. Ducas was also the team's leading rebounder, tying his career-high with 12 boards. Aidan Mahaney put together a brilliant all-around stat line, with 15 points, five rebounds and a career-best seven assists, while Augustas Marciulionis joined Ducas as the second Gael with a double-double, going for 13 points and 10 assists, while also swiping for steals. 

THE MANY HIGHS
The Gaels season and career high marks tonight read like a laundry list. Starting from the top, Mitchell Saxen's eight made field goals matched his season high, set against UNLV on 12/16. Alex Ducas tied a career-high with 12 rebounds, marking his second double-double of the year. Aidan Mahaney dished out a career-high six assists, while committing zero turnovers for the ninth time this season. Augustas Marciulionis set a new career-high assist tally with 11, good for a part of his second double-double. Mason Forbes was a perfect 3-3 from the field, including knocking down the first three pointer of his collegiate career. As a team, the Gaels dished out a season-best 27 assists. The win set a new program record for consecutive conference wins at 14 in a row and marked the second time in program history that the Gaels have clinched a share of the WCC Regular Season Title in back to back seasons, with the other occurring in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. 

ANOTHER "DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE"
For the second time this season, the Gaels had two players record double-doubles in the second game, as Alex Ducas logged 18 points and 12 boards, and Augustas Marciulionis contributed 13 points and 11 assists. The previous time that this occurred this season came against Northern Kentucky on 12/21, when Joshua Jefferson (15 pts-12 reb) and Mitchell Saxen (12 pts-13 reb) both shared a double-double game. 

HIGH PERCENTAGES
Six different Gaels shot 50% or better from the field, helping the team to a 56% shooting night. Cade Bennett scored his only field goal attempt, while Mason Forbes was a perfect 3-3 from the field and 1-1 from three. Augustas Marciulionis knocked down 50% of his shots from two and three, at 3-6 and 1-2 respectively. Luke Barrett was the Gaels top scorer off the bench with nine points on 4-5 shooting. Alex Ducas made the tough shots look easy, shooting 60% from the field and an astonishing 86% from three. Rounding out the group was Mitchell Saxen, who bullied his way to an 8-11 (73%) clip, all within 10 feet of the basket. This game was the Gaels 10th in which they've shot better than 50% from the field this season. Saint Mary's also accomplished this feat in the 2021-22 season. 

UP NEXT
The Gaels head to Malibu for their final road contest of the season at Pepperdine. Tip-off is set for 8 PM on 2/29. With a win against the Waves, the Gaels could clinch their first ever perfect road season, and, more notable, an outright conference title, which would be their first since 2012. 

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