Friday, November 13
Honolulu, O'ahu
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
1-3,0-0WCC
89
vs
93
Hawaii
1-2,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT 1 | OT 2 | OT 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 22 | 15 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 89 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 24 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 93 |
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
11/13/2026 5:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HONOLULU, Hawai'i - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team went to triple overtime for the first time in program history on Friday, but fell to Hawai'i 93-89 in the opener of the Bank of Hawai'i Classic in Honolulu.
Saint Mary's (1-3) dictated most of the game, building numerous leads including one as big as eleven points back in the second quarter, but the Rainbow Wahine found ways to force overtime on three separate occasions. A buzzer-beater layup in the first overtime period forced a second, and then a layup with eleven seconds remaining tied the game at 80 to force a third overtime. The 'Bows went on to outscore the Gaels 13-9 in the third OT period to seal a thriller, 93-89.
NaTallia Urlacher made her second career start and was electric for the Gaels, leading the team with a career high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. First-year Gael Niveya Henley scored 19 points and hit a career high five three-pointers while freshman Aussie Lucy Aherne scored 18 with a game-high six assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's got off to its best start of the season on Friday, building a lead as big as eleven points in the second quarter. The Gaels got it done on both ends of the floor, scoring 22 points while forcing eight turnovers over the first ten minutes. Hawai'i took it off the chin early, but a 12-4 run to start the second quarter cut the deficit to one. Evelyn Tounkara answered with a layup to push the lead back to three, as both teams traded blows during the final minutes of the second quarter. Niveya Henley cashed in a wing three-pointer for her second three ball of the half to tie the game at 37 going into the break.
The Gaels locked down again on the defensive side, holding Hawai'i to 13 points on 38% shooting to retake a seven-point lead in the third quarter. Lucy Aherne had seven points on 50% shooting in the period, en route to her third double-digit game of the season. Saint Mary's recorded its highest three-quarter total against a Division I opponent of the season, but suffered a cold spell in the fourth, scoring nine points on 27% shooting. Henley hit a three to give the Gaels a 66-61 lead with 1:22 left in regulation but the 'Bows closed on a 6-0 run including a transition three to tie the game with 32 seconds and force overtime.
The first overtime period came down to the wire with Hawai'i hitting a layup on an out-of-bounds play with one second remaining to force a second OT. Saint Mary's was down 78-75 inside the two-minute mark in the second OT period before Urlacher went on a solo 5-0 run to put the Gaels back up 80-78 with 27 seconds remaining. Urlacher banked in a layup through traffic and got the free throw to drop for the clutch three-point play. On the ensuing possession though, Hawai'i's Bailey Flavell converted a layup to tie the game at 80 with eleven seconds remaining. After a pair of empty trips from both teams, the game would eventually go to a third overtime period for the first time in program history for the Gaels. Hawai'i was able to break out for a seven-point lead in the third OT period and hang on for the eventual 93-89 victory.
A heartbreak defeat for the Gaels did come with some standout performances and great offensive sequences throughout the afternoon. Urlacher led all players with a career high 26 points while Henley hit a career high five three-pointers to contribute to a season high 89 points for a Gaels offense that was averaging just 57 coming into the contest.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will conclude its first MTE of the season at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic on Sunday, taking on Alabama A&M for the first time in program history. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. pacific time and live stats can be found HERE.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Saint Mary's (1-3) dictated most of the game, building numerous leads including one as big as eleven points back in the second quarter, but the Rainbow Wahine found ways to force overtime on three separate occasions. A buzzer-beater layup in the first overtime period forced a second, and then a layup with eleven seconds remaining tied the game at 80 to force a third overtime. The 'Bows went on to outscore the Gaels 13-9 in the third OT period to seal a thriller, 93-89.
NaTallia Urlacher made her second career start and was electric for the Gaels, leading the team with a career high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. First-year Gael Niveya Henley scored 19 points and hit a career high five three-pointers while freshman Aussie Lucy Aherne scored 18 with a game-high six assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's got off to its best start of the season on Friday, building a lead as big as eleven points in the second quarter. The Gaels got it done on both ends of the floor, scoring 22 points while forcing eight turnovers over the first ten minutes. Hawai'i took it off the chin early, but a 12-4 run to start the second quarter cut the deficit to one. Evelyn Tounkara answered with a layup to push the lead back to three, as both teams traded blows during the final minutes of the second quarter. Niveya Henley cashed in a wing three-pointer for her second three ball of the half to tie the game at 37 going into the break.
The Gaels locked down again on the defensive side, holding Hawai'i to 13 points on 38% shooting to retake a seven-point lead in the third quarter. Lucy Aherne had seven points on 50% shooting in the period, en route to her third double-digit game of the season. Saint Mary's recorded its highest three-quarter total against a Division I opponent of the season, but suffered a cold spell in the fourth, scoring nine points on 27% shooting. Henley hit a three to give the Gaels a 66-61 lead with 1:22 left in regulation but the 'Bows closed on a 6-0 run including a transition three to tie the game with 32 seconds and force overtime.
The first overtime period came down to the wire with Hawai'i hitting a layup on an out-of-bounds play with one second remaining to force a second OT. Saint Mary's was down 78-75 inside the two-minute mark in the second OT period before Urlacher went on a solo 5-0 run to put the Gaels back up 80-78 with 27 seconds remaining. Urlacher banked in a layup through traffic and got the free throw to drop for the clutch three-point play. On the ensuing possession though, Hawai'i's Bailey Flavell converted a layup to tie the game at 80 with eleven seconds remaining. After a pair of empty trips from both teams, the game would eventually go to a third overtime period for the first time in program history for the Gaels. Hawai'i was able to break out for a seven-point lead in the third OT period and hang on for the eventual 93-89 victory.
A heartbreak defeat for the Gaels did come with some standout performances and great offensive sequences throughout the afternoon. Urlacher led all players with a career high 26 points while Henley hit a career high five three-pointers to contribute to a season high 89 points for a Gaels offense that was averaging just 57 coming into the contest.
GAME NOTES
- Urlacher scored a career high 26 points, the most points by a Gael since Maia Jones had 28 in a 74-65 win over UC San Diego (11/14/24)
- Henley scored a new Gael high with 19 points as well as a career high five made three-pointers
- Four Gaels finished the game in double-figures including a season high from Abigail Shoff with ten points
- Three players played at least 50 minutes on Friday, including a program record 54 minutes from freshman Evelyn Tounkara
- The Gaels dominated time with the lead, leading Friday's contest for nearly 39 minutes compared to just eight minutes for the 'Bows
- Saint Mary's forced a season high 25 turnovers, scoring 22 points off said turnovers
- 89 points was the most in a single-game since scoring 89 in a WCC victory over Santa Clara back in 2023
- Saint Mary's has now scored 80+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2024-25 season in WCC wins over Pacific (12/28/24) and San Diego (12/30/24)
- Saint Mary's played in its first documented triple overtime contest in program history, dating back to 1985
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will conclude its first MTE of the season at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic on Sunday, taking on Alabama A&M for the first time in program history. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. pacific time and live stats can be found HERE.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballSF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballTeam Stats
SMC
Hawaii
FG%
.443
.462
3FG%
.296
.120
FT%
.611
.621
RB
34
55
TO
21
25
STL
12
10
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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