SPOKANE, Wash. - Saint Mary's kicked off their two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest against top seed Gonzaga Thursday night. The Gaels found themselves down as many as 13 points late in the third quarter but a 22-point fourth would catapult them back into the mix, cutting the deficit to as little as four points. The Gaels defense forced 20 turnovers and recorded a game high ten steals to keep Gonzaga under the 60-point mark, but Saint Mary's was just 53% from the free throw line and 1-for-9 from beyond the arc to fall 53-60.
The field goal percentages were respectable by both teams, combining to shoot 45% from the field but the Zags did just enough to pull away and hold off a late surge from Saint Mary's. They too struggled from the free throw line and turned the ball over 20 times, but Gonzaga was dominant on the glass finishing +14 and outscored the Gaels 11-0 in second chance points.
Sophomore guard
Maia Jones was the lone player in double figures for Saint Mary's, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals, her 12th game of the season with multiple steals. Freshman forward
Edie Clarke recorded 23 minutes of action off the bench and finished 2-for-2 from the field for six points.
FIRST HALF SMC 19-26 GU
Both teams were victims of an invisible lid that was on the rim in The Kennel to start the game. Saint Mary's and Gonzaga combined for just 18 points in the opening quarter and shot a combined 33% from the field. After starting 2-1 in the first two minutes, both teams would go 0-for-8 over the next four minutes before Gonzaga's Allie Turner hit a three-pointer to take a 4-2 lead.
The Gaels would tie the game up at six with free throws from
Edie Clarke and a mid range jumper from
Abigail Shoff but Gonzaga would end the quarter on a 6-0 with a pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes to take a 12-6 lead into the second quarter.
Both teams shot near the 50% mark to put together better offensive performances in the second, but the Zags would hold a seven-point lead at the break. Despite the advantage Saint Mary's forced 13 first half turnovers including six in the second period to remain within striking distance. Gonzaga seemed to do just enough to remain ahead but if Saint Mary's could find some rhythm and go on a run they could easily take a lead of their own.
In the final minute of the first half, the Gaels would get a pair of stops including a turnover and end the quarter on a 4-0 run with buckets from
Jada Hunter and
Edie Clarke. It wasn't the prettiest half of basketball for either side but the Gaels found themselves still in the mix down 19-26 at the break.
FINAL SMC 53-60 GU
The Gaels cut the Zags lead to five with a bucket from
Zeryhia Aokuso to start the second half but they would answer with a 9-2 run to claim a 12-point lead, their largest of the game.
Jada Hunter went on a solo 3-0 run to cut the deficit back down to single digits but a late three inside the final minute of the quarter for Gonzaga would push the lead to 13. Gonzaga went on a 7-2 run inside the final minute and a half to take an 11-point lead into the fourth.
Saint Mary's would finally explode offensively, scoring 22 points on 56% shooting in the fourth.
Kennedy Johnson and
Maia Jones helped get the scoring started and once again brought Gonzaga's lead back to single digits with over six minutes to play. Jones converted her signature spin move layup inside and drew the foul to complete the three-point play and make it an eight-point game.
After a pair of free throws from Johnson Jones would cash in on a transition layup after a
Jada Hunter steal to make it a four-point game and force a timeout from Gonzaga. In the blink of an eye, the Gaels offense came alive and they had themselves a new ball game with five minutes to play.
The game would start to swing back in Gonzaga's favor though later in the quarter as the Gaels got into foul trouble playing more aggressive defensively. The Zags went a combined 7-for-10 from the free throw line over the final four minutes of the game and a three ball from Allie Turner would help the Zags pull away.
Emily Foy connected on the team's first three pointer of the game under the three-minute mark to cut the deficit back to four but the Gaels were just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc and scored just one basket inside the final minute of regulation. The Gaels defense continues to impress and cause problems for opposing teams but when the offense fails to get going, they struggle to come out with wins in low scoring affairs. In games where both teams score under 60 points this season, Saint Mary's is just 4-4.
A Gaels defeat and an Oregon State win Thursday night put the Beavers alone in fourth place as Saint Mary's is now tied for fifth with San Francisco at 9-8. The logjam remains though as spots 4-7 are separated by just two games.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's fell to 13-13 overall and 9-8 in WCC play after their seven-point loss to top seed Gonzaga. They will conclude their road trip in Pullman and take on Washington State on Saturday, February 22nd at 11:00 AM. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com and you can stream the game live on ESPN+.
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