MORAGA, Calif. - The calendar still says February but it sure felt like March Thursday night inside UCU Pavilion as Saint Mary's outscored Oregon State by 30 in the second half to erase a 20-point deficit and win 69-66. The Gaels clamped down defensively, holding the Beavers to 33% shooting in the second half and forced 17 turnovers.
On the offensive side of the ball it was the
Maia Jones show as she completely took over, scoring 21 second half points to lead the comeback.
Kennedy Johnson and
Zeryhia Aokuso also finished in double figures as Johnson was a team high +12 while on the floor, grabbing a team high nine rebounds. Saint Mary's now sits in a tie for fifth place with San Francisco with one game to play in the conference season. The Gaels will head to LMU for their regular season finale.
FIRST HALF SMC 22-39 OSU
One of the key factors in the first meeting between these two teams was the Beavers paint presence with Sela Heide and Kelsey Rees, both towering over 6-4. The Gaels were outscored in the paint 42-18 but did a much better job early in Thursday's game to defend the paint and force perimeter shots. Unfortunately, Oregon State took those looks from three and made Saint Mary's pay. Four of the Beavers six made shots in the first quarter came from three as they jumped out to a 16-8 lead.
Saint Mary's was active defensively, forcing five turnovers in that opening quarter, but only scored two points off those turnovers and failed to cash in on the extra possessions. Oregon State continued to shoot three when it was given to them into the second quarter, but did most of their damage inside. The Beavers were 7-for-9 from the free throw line and a pair of three pointers on top of that gave them a 20-point lead in the closing seconds of the half.
After a made free throw with ten seconds left on the clock,
Zeryhia Aokuso would go coast-to-coast and convert a pull-up jumper through contact to get the buck and the foul. She would hit the free throw to give the Gaels some much needed momentum and cut the deficit to 17 at the break.
FINAL SMC 69-66 OSU
Then, cue the madness. After finishing 0-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half,
Emily Foy would come out of the locker room and connect on a three ball to complete a five-point swing from the end of the first half. After another Oregon State turnover
Kennedy Johnson would hit a runner in the lane to get the Gaels within striking distance down 12.
Minutes later, both teams would trade buckets before a
Maia Jones three-pointer to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the 4:09 mark in the second quarter. It was full steam ahead for Jones for the remainder of the quarter, finishing with 17 points and a pair of three pointers in the final three and a half minutes. Jones was ultra aggressive, getting downhill and finishing through contact.
At the 2:05 mark, Jones and Kennedy would double Rees in the high post and force a turnover that fell to
Mauriana Hashemian-Orr. Orr hit a sprinting Jones on the break who went on to convert the layup through contact and ignite the Gaels crowd, cutting the Beavers lead to six after the made free throw.
After a pair of made free throws from Oregon State on the very next possession, Jones would come right back and hit a wing three to make it a five-point game heading into the fourth. The Gaels went on an absolute tear in the third quarter, outscoring Oregon State 18-16 on 77% shooting to get themselves back into the game. The Gaels were much tougher inside and were playing quite well defensively but failed to convert off the OSU turnovers in the first half. In the third quarter alone, Saint Mary's scored 14 points off seven Oregon State turnovers.
Zeryhia Aokuso would take control to start the fourth with her signature turnaround jumper on the baseline followed by a pull-up three pointer to tie the game at 57. Sports can be a magical thing as all of a sudden everything seemed to go the Gaels way as shots were falling, the crowd was electric and Oregon State didn't seem to have an answer.
At 6:29,
Maia Jones would cash in on an offensive board and hit a floater down the middle of the lane to give the Gaels their first lead since the 7:27 mark of the first quarter. The Beavers continued to keep things close but senior
Kennedy Johnson would get in on the action with a three ball of her own to give Saint Mary's a 64-59 lead with five to play. Possessions later Johnson would eventually push the Gaels lead to eight with another pull-up jumper in the paint, giving Saint Mary's a 68-60 lead with three and a half to play.
Credit Oregon State as they came up with a scoring run when they needed it the most, converting three straight baskets and getting three straight stops to make it a two-point game with 45 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing possession, the Beavers were able to play straight up and look for a stop but seemed to do one better, forcing a turnover from
Maia Jones near midcourt. Catarina Ferreira appeared to gain possession on the floor but quickly after,
Kennedy Johnson would come over and rip the ball away as the shot clock expired.
Play would come to a halt but the referees would deem that Oregon State successfully gained possession and therefore it would reset the shot clock and not result in a violation for the Gaels. The Gaels inbounded the ball to
Emily Foy who would then get fouled to send her to the line. Foy would split the pair, making it a three-point game with ten seconds remaining.
Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck would call a timeout and advance the ball with a chance to tie the game. The play would get drawn up for AJ Marotte who had three three pointers in the game, but
Mauriana Hashemian-Orr would fight hard through the screen and contest the three point attempt causing it to fall short of the rim and help seal the thrilling victory, 69-66.
A tale of two halves for Saint Mary's as they erased a 20-point deficit and shot a combined 66% from the field in the second half.
Maia Jones was absolutely dominant though as she finished with 21 second half points for her fifth 20-point game of the season. Johnson and Aokuso combined for 24 points and Johnson led all players with nine rebounds. Johnson has been an absolute staple for Saint Mary's since coming over from Idaho and had herself a memorable senior night.
Despite the Gaels inconsistencies offensively throughout the season, they have developed a clear identity that starts on the defensive side of the ball. When they can turn defense into offense and score off the opposing teams turnovers, they have the ability to beat any team in this conference on any given night. Saint Mary's is now 10-9 in WCC play, tied with San Francisco in fifth place. The Dons fell in dramatic fashion to Portland to create the tie for fifth with one game to play while Gonzaga and Portland continue to duke it out for the regular season title.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 14-14 overall and 10-9 in conference play after pulling off their largest comeback win of the season. They will finish the regular season on the road against LMU this Saturday at 4:00 PM. Stream the game live on ESPN+ and get your tickets at smcgaels.com.
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