LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Saint Mary's headed south to take on LMU seeking the regular season sweep but after seven lead changes, the Lions would get back-to-back stops and back-to-back scores to seal the 65-61 victory. Both teams have seen an awful lot of each other over the last few seasons, having met in the first round of the WCC Tournament each of the last three years.
With their regular season finale defeat to LMU, the Gaels officially take hold of the sixth spot in the conference standings to play on Saturday, March 8th. They will await the winner of the 7 versus 10/11 game and look for their first postseason win since the 2023 season.
Maia Jones followed up her 27-point performance from Thursday's win over Oregon State with a team high 14 points.
Zeryhia Aokuso turned in 12 for the team's other double figure scorer while
Abigail Shoff had nine points off the bench.
FIRST HALF 32-30 LMU
Despite shooting just 29% in the opening quarter, Saint Mary's got a late push with two buckets inside the final minute to cut the deficit to just four. They would trail by as many as nine points in the quarter but Aokuso would hit a corner three ball to spark a 5-0 run. After a defensive stop on the next possession,
Maia Jones would rip down an offensive board and score the layup as time expired to give the Gaels momentum into the break, down 13-17.
That 5-0 run to end the first quarter quickly became an 11-0 run as
Emily Foy would hit back-to-back three's to give Saint Mary's a two-point lead. Foy has been the team's most consistent three-point shooter, leading the team with 43 made three's at 37%. After the Lions responded with a bucket inside to tie the game at 19,
Maia Jones would keep the three parade going with a banked three from the top of the arc to take a three-point lead.
The momentum would continue to shift as both teams traded off scoring runs. LMU recaptured a four-point lead with under three to play in the half but Saint Mary's responded with a 6-0 run to end the half including a floater down the lane from Foy to give the Gaels a 32-30 lead at the break.
FINAL SMC 61-65 LMU
Both teams put up identical numbers in the third quarter with five made field goals on 36% shooting. The problem for the Gaels was the bulk of their scoring came in the first half of the quarter. They kicked the second off with an 8-2 run to take an eight-point lead, their largest of the game.
As the Gaels did their scoring in the first half of the quarter, the Lions would score the bulk of their 12 points in the second half, ending the quarter on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to two heading into the fourth.
The scoring run for LMU would continue into the fourth, capping off a 14-4 run to retake a 46-44 lead. The final ten minutes would be an entertaining one, consisting of seven ties and a combined 17 made shots. LMU recorded back-to-back buckets including a three ball to take a five-point lead with 2:30 to play but the Gaels would show no quit and come all the way back to tie the game at 61. They would get a pair of stops defensively and then Shoff would drill a high arching corner three to tie the game up with 55 seconds remaining.
LMU's stars showed up when they needed them most though as Naudia Evans came back down the floor and hit a jumper in the lane to give the Lions a 63-61 lead with 34 seconds remaining. With plenty of time, Saint Mary's came back up the floor and after nice ball movement around the perimeter, Aokuso would split the defenders and drive to the hoop but get called for a questionable charge as the defender slid in late to take the contact.
The Gaels would be forced to foul on the next possession and two more free throws would ice the game and seal the dramatic 65-61 victory. Saint Mary's shot over 40% from three for the first time since February 13th and were also positive on the boards with 39 rebounds, eight more than their season average.
But LMU turned in an impressive fourth quarter shooting 56% from the field and were able to get a huge stop on the Aokuso charge. They also had three players in double figures with Naudia Evans and Maya Hernandez combining for 36 points. Nonetheless, Saint Mary's will rest up and prepare for the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship next week in Las Vegas as the six seed. Additional tournament information will be announced on Monday, March 3rd.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 14-15 overall and 10-10 in conference play to conclude the regular season. They will play in the 2025 WCC Tournament in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 8th. Full tournament information, bracket, game times and more can be found at smcgaels.com. The entire WCC Tournament will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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