MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's bounced back after a cold first quarter to erase a 17-point deficit but Ejim Yvonne went for 27 points and 11 boards to hold off the Gaels and secure the 69-58 victory. Gonzaga pushed their win streak to ten games and improved to 11-2 in conference play to remain in first place while the Gaels dropped their fourth straight game and are now 7-6 in sixth place.
Kennedy Johnson,
Maia Jones and
Zeryhia Aokuso all finished the night in double figures to help lead the comeback but Gonzaga was +14 on the glass and were perfect from the stripe to hang on for the 11-point win.
FIRST HALF SMC 26-34 GONZAGA
Saint Mary's has had a chronic issue of slow starts throughout the season and they fell victim again tonight, going just 1-of-13 from the field in the opening quarter. Their cold spell put themselves down 17 points after
Tayla Dalton hit a deep jumper at the buzzer. The Zags shot over 50% in the first quarter and Yvonne got going early with eight points and five rebounds to help build their early lead.
Senior guard
Kennedy Johnson would provide a much needed spark for the Gaels to start the second quarter as she went on a solo 5-0 run including a three pointer to cut the deficit to 12.
After Yvonne answered with an elbow jumper, Saint Mary's would rattle off an 8-0 run to bring the game to single digits under the five-minute mark. The Gaels forced a pair of turnovers during that stretch and
Emily Foy would connect on back-to-back shots to make it a six-point game.
Saint Mary's would get a defensive stop on Gonzaga's final possession of the half and allow Johnson to score inside to make it an eight-point game at the break. After making just one shot in the first quarter, the Gaels picked things up offensively and went 10-for-14 in the second quarter to outscore the Bulldogs 21-12.
Johnson had seven points in the quarter and Aokuso finished the half with eight of her own and three assists. The Gaels defense held Gonzaga to just 33% shooting in the quarter and also forced six turnovers as the top team in the WCC showed signs of weakness with some poor shooting and care of the basketball.
FINAL SMC 58-69 GONZAGA
Both teams put together productive third quarters offensively but Gonzaga would push their lead back to double digits, outscoring the Gaels 18-15 in the quarter. Saint Mary's would open the quarter on a 6-0 run and they did it once again with their energy on the defensive side of the ball. The Gaels forced two more turnovers during that stretch and
Maia Jones converted a pair of layups to make it a two-point game with 7:36 left in the quarter.
Emily Foy and
Maia Jones each hit a three in the quarter to keep the Gaels within striking distance but turnovers became an issue as Saint Mary's gave it up four times in the quarter. The Zags doubled their points off turnovers in the quarter and were able to go on a 12-4 run to end the third including back-to-back three balls. Saint Mary's had their work cut out for them down eleven heading into the fourth.
Once again Saint Mary's shot 50% from the field and found ways to score but Gonzaga slowed the pace down and attacked the paint to finish a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe to help ice the game.
Maia Jones converted a tough and-one to start the quarter and
Zeryhia Aokuso hit a jumper in the lane to cut the deficit to six.
Gonzaga would respond with a 7-0 run of their own though to push their lead back to double digits. The Zags hit timely shots and were able to get to the line to maintain their lead. Gonzaga only made four shots in the quarter but time was an issue for the Gaels as they had to get more aggressive defensively, resulting in more fouls and trips to the charity stripe for the Bulldogs.
Head coach
Jeff Cammon started to roll out his defensive trio featuring
Jada Hunter,
Mauriana Hashemian-Orr and
Edie Clarke and then switched in
Maia Jones and
Emily Foy for their offensive possessions. As a result, Gonzaga turned the ball over nine times in the quarter to finish with 18 for the game, their highest total since January 16th. The Gaels scored ten points off those nine turnovers but couldn't keep Gonzaga off the free throw line. On top of that, Saint Mary's was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc and were -10 on the glass in the fourth quarter.
Maia Jones heated up to score eight in the quarter and finish with 15 points while Johnson led the Gaels with 16 points and five boards. Johnson also recorded a career high five steals as she now has three games this season with 4+ steals. Aokuso was the team's third double digit scorer finishing with ten points and a game high six assists.
The Gaels found ways to slow down Gonzaga's offense as they held them under their season average, but the Zags were dominant on the glass and also had a special night from Yvonne Ejim who stands as the potential favorite for WCC Player of the Year. She finished with a game high 27 points and 11 boards for her tenth double-double of the season. Saint Mary's doesn't shoot the three ball at an alarming rate but they are one of the most efficient teams in the WCC. However, they were just 3-for-13 tonight and are now 3-5 on the season when shooting under 30% from beyond the arc.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 11-11 overall and 7-6 in conference play. Wins from Oregon State and San Francisco tonight bumped the Gaels down to sixth place in the standings but spots 4-8 are still separated by just two games. The Gaels will look to end their four-game skid as they host San Francisco Saturday night at 5:00 PM to conclude the weekend. Stream the game live on ESPN+ and get your tickets online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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