MBB | Gaels Outmuscle Florida Atlantic in 88-75 Victory

Friday, December 19

Moraga, CA

7:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

10-2,0-0WCC

Florida Atlantic

8-4,0-0American

Fla. Atlantic

Saint Mary's (CA)

Harry Wessels (1): 9 pts (3-5 FG 3-4 FT) 4 reb 2 stls

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

MBB | Gaels Outmuscle Florida Atlantic in 88-75 Victory

12/19/2025 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights

MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's men's basketball team delivered an impressive performance on Friday night, capturing an 88-75 win over Florida Atlantic at UCU Pavilion. The Gaels showcased their strength on the boards, pulling down a total of 45 rebounds, including 15 offensive, and in the paint, with 40 scored in the key, to power their victory.

Joshua Dent led the charge with 24 points, six assists, and a career-high seven rebounds, setting the tone offensively. Paulius Murauskas made his mark with 21 points, hitting 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, both career-highs, and grabbing nine rebounds. Andrew McKeever was solid off the bench with 14 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field, and pulling down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double. Mikey Lewis rounded out the double-digit scorers, adding 12 points and three assists with no turnovers, bolstering the backcourt.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Gaels (10-2) dominated early, establishing a strong presence in the paint and scoring 20 of their 38 first-half points inside. Lewis was pivotal, nailing a three-pointer with 31 seconds left to extend Saint Mary's lead. Florida Atlantic (8-4) stayed in the mix, with Devin Williams hitting two late threes to close the gap. Despite this, the Gaels took advantage of the Owls' 10 turnovers, heading into halftime up 38-30.

Saint Mary's expanded their lead back to double-digits in the second half, a Harry Wessles free throw and a Lewis layup to push the score to 41-30. Florida Atlantic answered back with a three from Isaiah Elohim and a layup from Maxim Logue, narrowing the deficit to six, but that was as close as they would get in the second half. A pair of Dent free throws with 7:24 to go pushed Saint Mary's ahead by 20, and while FAU continued to push back, the Gaels held firm, outscoring FAU 50-45 in the half to secure the win.

GAME NOTES

- After briefly trailing 3-2, a Harry Wessels layup at 17:04 put the Gaels in front for good.

- The Gaels' 50-point second half marked their second time this season with 50+ points in a half.

- Dent tied his career-high with 24 points and set a new personal best with seven rebounds.

- Murauskas notched career-highs with 13 made free throws and 14 attempts.

- McKeever recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

- Saint Mary's forced a season-high 15 turnovers from FAU.

- The Gaels are now averaging over 80 points per game following their 88-point performance.

THE FINAL WORD

UP NEXT
Saint Mary's next takes the court against Northern Iowa at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga on Monday, Dec. 22, with a 7 p.m. PT tip-off.