MALIBU, Calif. - Saint Mary's bounced back with a clutch road win over Pepperdine to sweep the regular season series and improve to 9-7 in WCC play. They now sit in a three-way tie for fourth place along with Oregon State and San Francisco.
Zeryhia Aokuso came off the bench for the Gaels for the first time since December and did not disappoint, leading the team with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Abigail Shoff returned to the starting lineup and posted 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while
Kennedy Johnson and
Jada Hunter combined for 21 points. The Gaels were also solid defensively, holding Pepperdine to 37% shooting and forcing 21 turnovers. This is the sixth game this season they've forced 20+ turnovers, SMC has gone 5-1 during that stretch.
The Gaels hammered the Waves 35-15 in bench points thanks to
Zeryhia Aokuso and
Jada Hunter, combining for 27 points off the bench. Hunter's eleven points went down as a career high as she finished 5-for-8 from the field and also added four boards and five assists. Aokuso took a step back and came off the bench but that did not deter her as she went for a game high 16 points and seven rebounds. On top of that, she added three steals and had zero turnovers, a stat that has plagued the Gaels throughout the season.
Pepperdine's last lead was 16-15 in the first quarter and Saint Mary's would take over after that and never look back. They finished 53% from the field and added five three pointers. Saint Mary's stays in the hunt for a top-four seed, now in a three-way tie for fourth place at 9-7. They will have another tough road test next week as they head to the Pacific Northwest to take on top seed Gonzaga and Washington State, looking to split both regular season series.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's gets back over .500 for the season, now 13-12 overall and 9-7 in WCC play. They will stay on the road next week and head to Washington to take on Gonzaga and Washington State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM at the Kennel on Thursday night and you can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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