MBB | Gaels Drain Nine Threes to Sink Pilots, 75-69

Saturday, January 24

Portland, OR

5:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

19-3,8-1WCC

Portland

10-12,3-6WCC

Saint Mary's (CA)

Portland

Mikey Lewis: 15 pts (5-9 FG) 2 stls

Photo by: UP Athletics

MBB | Gaels Drain Nine Threes to Sink Pilots, 75-69

1/24/2026 7:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Pilots put up all they could muster against the Saint Mary's Gaels, but when the dust all settled, it was the Gaels who reigned victorious, 75-69 at the Chiles Center Saturday night. The Gaels led for nearly 35 minutes of the contest, and only trailed for 14 seconds, burying shot after shot to curtail every Pilot run.

Paulius Murauskas dropped 24 points, including a perfect 9-9 clip at the line. The junior from Lithuania came up just one rebound shy of a double-double, ripping down nine boards and helping the Gaels to a +10 advantage on the glass. The back court duo of Mikey Lewis and Joshua Dent added 15 and 13 respectively, each draining three threes. Dent added seven assists to lead the Gaels, while Harry Wessels notched his first career double-digit rebounding performance with 10.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both sides played to a 16 all stalemate throughout the first eight minutes of the contest. A 20-8 run by the Gaels over the next nine minutes and change would charge the Gaels to their largest lead of the half at 36-24, but the Pilots responded by closing out the frame on a 10-2 run of their own to trim the deficit to four points at the break. For the period, the Gaels shot 52% from the field and 50% from three.

The Gaels never trailed in the second half, but the Pilots never let Saint Mary's pull away. With two minutes left, Portland cut the deficit to one, followed by a near two minutes scoreless spell from both sides. That was, until Dillan Shaw canned a three with 15 seconds remaining to push the Gaels ahead 73-69. Portland missed on their shot on the ensuing possession, fouled Joshua Dent, and he, in turn, nailed the two free throws to end the game in favor of the Gaels.

GAME NOTES

Paulius Murauskas dropped 24 points to lead the Gaels. He has now scored 74 points in four career games against the Pilots.
Harry Wessels ripped down 10 boards for his first career double-digit rebounding effort.
Starting guards Mikey Lewis and Josh Dent combined for 28 points, including a combined six made threes on 12 attempts. It is just the second time that both have made at least three triples in a contest.
This is the eighth time the Gaels have made at least nine threes in a contest. They are 8-0 in those instances.
The Gaels held the Pilots scoreless for the final 2:02 of the contest, allowing them to close out the game on a 5-0 for the win.

The Gaels will have seven days until their next contest, when they head to the Kennel to take on Gonzaga. Tip off for that matchup on January 31 is set for 7:30 PM.

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