MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's (24-4, 14-1 1st in WCC) took care of business on Wednesday night, defeating the Portland Pilots (10-18, 5-10 8th in WCC), 79-66. The Pilots hung tight with the Gaels for most of the first half, but a strong three point shooting surge helped propel the Gaels to a double digit lead early in the second half that they would not relinquish. The Gaels need just one more win to secure a share of the 2025 WCC Regular Season Title, and two to win the title outright (more on that later).
The Gaels shook off a slow shooting starting over the first five minutes, to regain momentum and take an eight point lead into the break. Paulius Murauskas was the man responsible for getting the Gaels out of the early game cold spell, scoring the first eight points of the game for Saint Mary's, allowing them to keep pace with the Pilots early, and eventually, the rest of the Gaels followed suit, closing the half on a 31-20 run. With 14 points and eight rebounds, Paulius Murauskas continued to lead the Gaels throughout the half. Augustas Marciulionis chipped in six with a team-high four assists with no turnovers. The Gaels finished off +12 on the glass in the first half, outscoring Portland 8-0 in second chance points.
The Pilots and Gaels matched each other blow for blow in the first 2:45 in the second half, keeping the deficit at eight, until Mitchell Saxen knocked down a pair of free throws, to push the Gaels ahead 43-33. Saint Mary's would never see their lead shrink back down to double-digits, opening it out to as large as 20 with less than three to go. The Pilots clawed all the way back to cut things down to a 13 point deficit, but when the final horn sounded, that would be the margin of victory for the Gaels. Augustas Marciulionis was the only Gael to reach double figures in the second half, scoring 10 points while dishing out five more assists. Harry Wessels was not far behind, with eight, while Paulius Murauskas and Mitchell Saxen each went for six points and three rebounds. After shooting at just 39.5% for the first half, the Gaels really sharpened their offensive production in the second half to the tune of 56.7% from the field and 50% from three.
Paulius Murauskas notched his second double-double in as many games, and his 11th of the season, going for 20 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 60% from the field and 40% from three. Augustas Marciulionis finished just one assist shy of joining Murauskas in double-double land, going for 16 points and nine assists to just one total turnover. Off the bench, the Gaels got big production from Mikey Lewis (12 points, 4-6 from three) and Harry Wessels (11 points, 4-5 from the field, 5 rebounds). The Gaels outrebounded Portland 41-27, their first double-digit rebounding margin game in three weeks, and finished +10 on the offensive glass, leading to a 14-3 second chance scoring discrepancy in favor of the Gaels.
TALK ABOUT A TWO GAME STRETCH…
A little less than a month ago, Paulius Murauskas put together a two game stretch against San Francisco and Washington State that saw him average 24.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 65.5% from the field, earning him Lute Olson National Player of the Week honors. While that two game stretch was indeed impressive, Murauskas has shined even brighter over his two most recent games for the Gaels. In wins over Washington State on Saturday, and Portland tonight, Murauskas is averaging 25 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per contest, shooting 61.8% from the field. He's logged back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since the first two games of conference play, and now has 11 for the season. He is the first Gael since Jock Landale (2017-18) to have double digit double-doubles in a single season.
MORE MILESTONES REACHED
Quite a few impressive marks were met tonight as it comes to career marks for the Gaels. Starting things off with Mitchell Saxen, tonight marked his 149th appearance as a Gael, tying him with former teammate Tommy Kuhse for second most. His next game will tie him with another former teammate, Alex Ducas, for most games ever played in an SMC uniform. Saxen also climbed into the top-20 all-time in program scoring, now with 1253 career points, good for 19th. The big man from Seattle also recorded his 150th block as a Gael, as he now needs just three more rejections to move into the top three in program history. Augustas Marciulionis also hit both a participation and scoring milestone. Tonight was his 131st game as a Gael, moving him into the top-10 all-time, and moved into the top-30 all-time in scoring, now with 1132. Also joining in on the fun were Jordan Ross, who notched his 100th assist as a Gael, and Luke Barrett, who scored his 200th career basket. Finishing out the group, Harry Wessels, after shooting 4-5 from the field tonight, once again leapfrogged fellow Aussie Jock Landale for the program field goal percentage lead, now shooting at 62.7% for his career, just a tick over Landale's career 62.5%. These two will certainly continue to fluctuate as time goes on, but Wessels continues to dazzle with his finishing ability around the rim.
WHAT TONIGHT'S WIN MEANS FOR THE GAELS
Following tonight's win (as well as Gonzaga's win this evening over Washington State), the Gaels continue to hold a two game lead on the Zags. The WCC now has three teams remaining with a possibility to win at least a share of the WCC regular season crown (Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, San Francisco), with the Gaels holding the inside track in this race. If the Gaels defeat Gonzaga at the Kennel on Saturday, Saint Mary's will be crowned back-to-back outright WCC Champs. The Gaels have never won outright WCC regular season titles in back-to-back years in program history, and also have never won a share of the WCC title in three straight seasons. Both of these milestones, however, are within reach. A loss in Spokane on Saturday, however, would not end the Gaels chances at winning the outright conference title. If the Gaels were to fall to the Zags on Saturday, they would still hold a one game lead on first place, and would need to win both of their final two games (at LMU and vs Oregon State) to secure the outright conference title. Any win from here on out would guarantee the Gaels a share of the regular season WCC Title, with a win over Gonzaga guaranteeing outright a bit earlier. The Gaels have put in the work throughout conference play, and now truly control their own destiny down the home stretch.
POSTGAME CHATS
UP NEXT
The best rivalry in west coast basketball is next up for the Gaels, as they head to Spokane to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a game that could decide the outright WCC Regular Season Champs. Tip off is set for 5 PM at the McCarthey Athletic Center, better known as the Kennel. Can't make it to Spokane? Watch the game live on ESPN2.
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