Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
Kroner's Corner Season 2: Non-con in the Rearview, WCC Play Here We Come
12/27/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Heading into their West Coast Conference opener at Loyola Marymount on Sunday afternoon, the Saint Mary's Gaels can take heart in the fact that though they aren't quite firing on all cylinders, they still own an 11-2 record and a NET ranking of 28.
SMC's nonconference finale against a good Northern Iowa team Monday night was a case in point for showing the Gaels struggling in one area of the game but still prevailing.
Saint Mary's was 17-for-53 (32.1%) from the floor, including 4-for-20 from beyond the arc, and went without a field goal for the final seven minutes, yet the Gaels managed to pull out a 63-58 decision at UCU Pavilion.
"We didn't play our best basketball, but it was a culture win," SMC guard Mikey Lewis said after the game. "Everybody played hard. Everybody did whatever we needed to (do) to get the win."
Lewis had 17 points against the Panthers, going 5-for-18 from the floor – including 1-for-6 from long distance – but he connected on all six of his free-throw tries and pulled down six rebounds.
The Gaels had a 42-25 edge on the boards and went 25-for-27 at the foul line to overcome their off night from the field. That off night can be attributed at least partially to the opposition: Northern Iowa ranks second in the country in fewest points allowed per game (58.1) and seventh in field-goal-percentage defense (36.9).
Strong rebounding has been one of the Gaels' calling cards over the past few seasons and it is again in 2025-26. They lead the WCC and rank 10th nationally in rebounding margin at plus-11.6 per game. Center Andrew McKeever (9.8 per game) and forward Paulius Murauskas (7.3) rank first and third, respectively, among WCC rebounders.
Thriving at the foul line hasn't been a part of the Gaels' DNA in recent seasons.
"Free throws (are) a little thing that you don't really notice," McKeever said. "It hasn't been a factor for us negatively, which it was for us last year a little bit."
Last season, the Gaels ranked dead last in the 11-team WCC in free-throw percentage at 69.5. This season, they rank first in the 12-team conference (with the addition of Seattle) and second in the country at 80.9.
Lewis (36-for-38, 94.7%) and fellow guard Josh Dent (50-for-53, 94.3%) are fifth and seventh, respectively, in the country in free-throw accuracy. Murauskas (88-for-107, 82.2%) is third in the nation in free throws made.
SMC head coach Randy Bennett said he and his staff haven't stressed the importance of foul shooting any more this season than in seasons past, but they do appreciate the results.
"It's not, 'Hey, we put a big emphasis on it and we did this and this and this,' " Bennett said. "We have the right guys shooting the free throws."
Lewis said those right guys – he, Dent and Murauskas – have a friendly competition going.
"We really want to keep our percentage high," Lewis said, "so we can shoot the technicals."
Shooting technicals at the foul line is one thing. Shooting field goals is another. As the Gaels swept their six-game homestand to begin the season, they hit on 50% of the field-goal tries, including 45.7% from long range. They now sit at 45.8% and 35.5%.
"We take way too many bad shots," Bennett said.
The Gaels' 3-point numbers from each of their seven games since that opening homestand aren't pretty: 2-for-16, 6-for-17, 7-for-21, 3-for-11, 5-for-19, 6-for-26 and 4-for-20.
Lewis hopes the break between the nonconference schedule and conference play gives the Gaels an opportunity to return to their hot shooting ways of early to mid-November.
"We've just got to get back to banging some shots," Lewis said. "Take a little rest, reset and get everybody back to that."
Said McKeever: "We know how good of a shooting team we can be. We started off the season very well there. We'll be OK there."
The Gaels lead the WCC and rank 20th in the country in fewest points allowed per game at 64.3, but Bennett believes there's room for improvement for his team's defense.
"We haven't been bad, but we have to get better" is how he put it.
The Gaels have won four straight over LMU and have won 25 of the past 26 meetings, but the past three matchups at Gersten Pavilion have been tight: The Lions edged SMC 78-74 in overtime in 2023. The Gaels won 68-64 in 2024 and 58-55 last season.
Scouting the Lions: LMU (9-4) opened the season with six wins, then dropped four of five before winning its past two games, including an 83-56 rout of Morgan State on Tuesday. … Swingman Myron "MJ" Amey Jr., who played three seasons at San Jose State, leads the Lions in scoring at 15.3 points per game. Guard Rodney Brown, who spent the 2023-24 season at Cal and last season at Virginia Tech, is LMU's second-leading scorer at 14.5 ppg. … The Lions' NET ranking is 135.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is in his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
SMC's nonconference finale against a good Northern Iowa team Monday night was a case in point for showing the Gaels struggling in one area of the game but still prevailing.
Saint Mary's was 17-for-53 (32.1%) from the floor, including 4-for-20 from beyond the arc, and went without a field goal for the final seven minutes, yet the Gaels managed to pull out a 63-58 decision at UCU Pavilion.
"We didn't play our best basketball, but it was a culture win," SMC guard Mikey Lewis said after the game. "Everybody played hard. Everybody did whatever we needed to (do) to get the win."
Lewis had 17 points against the Panthers, going 5-for-18 from the floor – including 1-for-6 from long distance – but he connected on all six of his free-throw tries and pulled down six rebounds.
The Gaels had a 42-25 edge on the boards and went 25-for-27 at the foul line to overcome their off night from the field. That off night can be attributed at least partially to the opposition: Northern Iowa ranks second in the country in fewest points allowed per game (58.1) and seventh in field-goal-percentage defense (36.9).
Strong rebounding has been one of the Gaels' calling cards over the past few seasons and it is again in 2025-26. They lead the WCC and rank 10th nationally in rebounding margin at plus-11.6 per game. Center Andrew McKeever (9.8 per game) and forward Paulius Murauskas (7.3) rank first and third, respectively, among WCC rebounders.
Thriving at the foul line hasn't been a part of the Gaels' DNA in recent seasons.
"Free throws (are) a little thing that you don't really notice," McKeever said. "It hasn't been a factor for us negatively, which it was for us last year a little bit."
Last season, the Gaels ranked dead last in the 11-team WCC in free-throw percentage at 69.5. This season, they rank first in the 12-team conference (with the addition of Seattle) and second in the country at 80.9.
Lewis (36-for-38, 94.7%) and fellow guard Josh Dent (50-for-53, 94.3%) are fifth and seventh, respectively, in the country in free-throw accuracy. Murauskas (88-for-107, 82.2%) is third in the nation in free throws made.
SMC head coach Randy Bennett said he and his staff haven't stressed the importance of foul shooting any more this season than in seasons past, but they do appreciate the results.
"It's not, 'Hey, we put a big emphasis on it and we did this and this and this,' " Bennett said. "We have the right guys shooting the free throws."
Lewis said those right guys – he, Dent and Murauskas – have a friendly competition going.
"We really want to keep our percentage high," Lewis said, "so we can shoot the technicals."
Shooting technicals at the foul line is one thing. Shooting field goals is another. As the Gaels swept their six-game homestand to begin the season, they hit on 50% of the field-goal tries, including 45.7% from long range. They now sit at 45.8% and 35.5%.
"We take way too many bad shots," Bennett said.
The Gaels' 3-point numbers from each of their seven games since that opening homestand aren't pretty: 2-for-16, 6-for-17, 7-for-21, 3-for-11, 5-for-19, 6-for-26 and 4-for-20.
Lewis hopes the break between the nonconference schedule and conference play gives the Gaels an opportunity to return to their hot shooting ways of early to mid-November.
"We've just got to get back to banging some shots," Lewis said. "Take a little rest, reset and get everybody back to that."
Said McKeever: "We know how good of a shooting team we can be. We started off the season very well there. We'll be OK there."
The Gaels lead the WCC and rank 20th in the country in fewest points allowed per game at 64.3, but Bennett believes there's room for improvement for his team's defense.
"We haven't been bad, but we have to get better" is how he put it.
The Gaels have won four straight over LMU and have won 25 of the past 26 meetings, but the past three matchups at Gersten Pavilion have been tight: The Lions edged SMC 78-74 in overtime in 2023. The Gaels won 68-64 in 2024 and 58-55 last season.
Scouting the Lions: LMU (9-4) opened the season with six wins, then dropped four of five before winning its past two games, including an 83-56 rout of Morgan State on Tuesday. … Swingman Myron "MJ" Amey Jr., who played three seasons at San Jose State, leads the Lions in scoring at 15.3 points per game. Guard Rodney Brown, who spent the 2023-24 season at Cal and last season at Virginia Tech, is LMU's second-leading scorer at 14.5 ppg. … The Lions' NET ranking is 135.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is in his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballMBB | Randy Bennett Postgame vs. Northern Iowa, 12-22-25, Presented by University Credit Union
Monday, December 22
MBB | Mikey Lewis Postgame vs. Northern Iowa, 12-22-25 presented by University Credit Union
Monday, December 22
MBB | Saint Mary's vs. Northern Iowa Highlights, 12-22-25
Monday, December 22
MBB | Josh Dent Shamrock Office Student-Athlete of the Week
Monday, December 22
