MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's put together one of their most complete team performances of the season through three quarters but Portland was able to storm back and erase a 14-point deficit to leave Moraga with the 71-69 victory. Saint Mary's falls to 8-7 in the heart of the conference standings and will finish the week at Pepperdine.
The Gaels had five players in double figures for the first time this season and shot over 50% from the field. They were efficient all night on the offensive side of the ball but ten second half turnovers including six in the fourth quarter alone allowed the Pilots to score 12 points off those turnovers and seal the tough road victory.
Emily Foy led the team with 17 points off the bench on an efficient 7-for-10 from the field including three three-pointers.
FIRST HALF SMC 31-28 UP
After a string of cold starts for the Gaels offense they would come firing and put up 19 points on 50% shooting. Portland came out with a full court press for most of the game but when Saint Mary's was able to break it, they got easy looks at the rim. At the six-minute mark
Mauriana Hashemian-Orr helped break that press and found
Emily Foy for the easy two under the rim to make it a one-point game in the first.
Under two minutes
Maia Jones would take her defender off the dribble and find Foy in the corner for a three ball in front of the Pilots bench. Foy finished with five points in the opening quarter as Saint Mary's took a 19-18 lead, their first first quarter lead since January 23rd against San Diego.
The Gaels offense would remain hot as they opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run.
Zeryhia Aokuso would hit one of her patented mid-range jumpers to start the quarter and then
Emily Foy would connect on another corner three at the end of the shot clock to put Saint Mary's up by six. On the very next possession
Maia Jones would force a turnover and go coast-to-coast for the layup to push their lead to eight.
Aokuso finished the quarter with four points and was 4-for-5 from the field in the half. The lead got back to seven for the Gaels but a pair of costly turnovers inside the final minute allowed Portland to close on a 4-0 run and cut the deficit to three at the break. Aokuso and Foy led the way with eight points each as the Gaels led for the majority of the half and were positive in points off turnovers, bench points and on the glass.
FINAL SMC 69-71 UP
Aokuso came out of the break with a wing three ball to give her eleven points for the game. After a pair of makes from Portland to cut the deficit back to four, Saint Mary's would respond with a 12-2 scoring run to build a 14-point lead, their largest of the game. Under the four-minute mark,
Maia Jones would rip a loose ball away from the Pilots guard and find
Mauriana Hashemian-Orr on the fast break. Orr would convert the layup through contact and get the foul to complete the three-point play and ignite the crowd.
After a turnover from Portland, Foy would add to the scoring run with a three pointer right in front of the Gaels bench to push their lead to 14. Foy led the team with 15 points after three quarters as the Gaels smelled blood and a possible revenge win after falling late to the Pilots just two weeks earlier. Portland had different plans though as they went on an 11-3 run over the final two and a half minutes and held Saint Mary's to just one made field goal and forced a turnover over that span. The Pilots put together three straight scores to get them back in the game, down just six heading into the fourth.
Portland started to light it up from three-point land after making just three in the first half. The Pilots are second in the WCC in three-point shooting at 34% and went on to hit seven in the second half to spark their comeback. A 5-0 run including a three ball from McKelle Meek cut the deficit to one and forced a timeout from
Jeff Cammon.
Two more three pointers out of the timeout would give Portland a 56-55 lead, their first since the seven-minute mark in the first quarter. A pair of free throws from
Maia Jones would swing the lead back to Saint Mary's as their were three lead changes in the fourth quarter. Again, two more three pointers would push their lead to five points with under five minutes to play.
After finishing the first half with just two points,
Abigail Shoff went 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter to keep the Gaels in it. Under the two-minute mark Shoff would catch the post entry pass from
Jada Hunter and hit the turnaround elbow jumper to make it 65-66.
Both teams would trade buckets to keep it a one-point game, 68-67 Portland with under a minute to play. After a Pilots timeout, the Gaels would play great defense on the inbound and force a turnover as McKelle Meek tried to catch the return pass but never re-established herself in bounds. Cammon would call a timeout to advance the ball and set up a play but on the ensuing action, Aokuso would get stripped trying to split a pair of defenders and give the ball back to Portland.
Alexis Mark would get fouled and split the free throws to make it a two-point game. After another timeout from Cammon, the ball would find
Maia Jones in the post but her hook shot rimmed out allowing Portland to secure the defensive rebound. Two made free throws would ice the game, giving the Pilots a four-point lead. Shoff would hit a floater on the baseline but Portland was able to inbound the ball and run the clock out to walk away with the 71-69 win.
The Pilots overcame a 14-point deficit and were down seven after three quarters, but hit five three pointers in the fourth to put up 26 points. The Gaels had their most balanced night of the season offensively, finishing with five players in double figures for the first time all year. Foy put up 17 to lead all bench scorers while
Kennedy Johnson finished with 12 and seven boards to lead the SMC starters.
Jada Hunter was 1-for-6 off the bench but contributed in a big way with a team high five assists and three rebounds.
The Gaels were +four on the glass, + four in the paint and +27 in bench points but six turnovers in the fourth quarter proved very costly as Portland cashed in and scored 12 points off those turnovers. They would finish with 18 for the game and ten in the second half. An Oregon State loss in overtime to Gonzaga keeps the Gaels in fifth place and just a game out fourth. A win over Pepperdine could tie the Gaels with the Beavers for fourth place at 9-7 as OSU has a bye and is done for the weekend.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 12-12 overall and 8-7 in conference play. They will hit the road to finish the week at Pepperdine looking for the regular season sweep. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM and you can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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