MORAGA, Calif. -
Emily Foy led the charge with a career night, finishing with 18 points on 58% shooting to help Saint Mary's to a convincing 20-point win over the Pacific Tigers. Foy was also 4-of-8 from three and was the only Gaels to knock down a deep ball all night as she bested her previous career high by two points.
Zeryhia Aokuso and
Kennedy Johnson combined for 24 points while Saint Mary's defense held Pacific to a season low 44 points on 35% shooting. The Gaels also forced 22 turnovers on the night, the fourth time this season they've forced 20+ turnovers in a game. They improved to 5-2 in conference play and snapped their two-game skid, sitting in a five-way tie for first along with Washington State, Gonzaga, Portland and San Francisco.
FIRST HALF SMC 33-22 PAC
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, combining for just 23 points in the first quarter. A pair of three pointers and two trips to the foul line gave Pacific a one-point lead but Saint Mary's dominated the paint, outscoring the Tigers 8-0 inside and 5-0 on second chance points.
Abigail Shoff and
Emily Foy combined for 9 of the team's 11 points to start the game but Saint Mary's would heat up and double their point total in the second quarter.
The Gaels outscored the Tigers 22-10 in the second period and only missed three shots, finishing the quarter 8-11 from the field and 2-4 from three. Foy would hit back-to-back three pointers to get the scoring started and then Aokuso would go 2-4 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line to finish with eight in the quarter. After cutting the deficit to three on two different occasions, Saint Mary's would conclude the first half on an 8-0 with layups from
Jada Hunter and
Edie Clarke to give them an 11-point lead at the half.
The bench scoring picked up greatly in that second quarter for Saint Mary's as they had 12 points off their bench and outscored Pacific 17-0 in that category for the first two quarters. The Gaels were also +5 on the glass and forced 13 turnovers, two key statistics for when Saint Mary's has ended up on the winning side this season.
FINAL SMC 64-44 PAC
The scoring would take a step back in the third quarter but the Gaels were lights out defensively, allowing just five points and two made field goals from the Tigers. A 10-3 run for Saint Mary's would extend the lead to 18 points as the Gaels continued to attack the rim. 10 of their 12 points would come from the paint and they forced six turnovers in the period to take firm control of the game.
The Tigers would respond with their best scoring quarter of the night but Saint Mary's kept their foot on the pedal as they finished the fourth quarter 8-of-12 from the field for 19 points. After being held scoreless in the first half, senior transfer
Kennedy Johnson would score ten points in the second half with six of them coming in the final ten minutes. The lead would grow to as many as 20 points on several different occasions but a jumper from
Sasha Murphy on the team's last offensive possession would push it back to 20 to secure the 64-44 victory.
Despite turning the ball over 22 times, the Gaels had their best rebounding game in nearly a month with 36 boards, finishing +11 on the night. When Saint Mary's out-rebounds their opponents they are 5-1 on the year.
Abigail Shoff led the team in that category with eight boards, just three shy of her career high. Shoff was also 50% from the field and finished with six points and a pair of assists.
A few other results helped out the Gaels on the night as Portland took down San Francisco and Gonzaga beat Washington State on the road to create a five-way tie for first place in the WCC.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in conference play after their 20-point win over Pacific. The Gaels will remain in Moraga next week and take on Pepperdine on Thursday, January 16th at 6:30 PM. Stream the game live on ESPN+ and get your tickets online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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