MBB | Gaels Complete Late Comeback to Force OT, Fall by One to Nevada

Sunday, November 8

Stateline, NV

1:30 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

2-1,0-0WCC

Nevada

2-0,0-0Mountain West

Team	1	2	OT 1	F
Saint Mary's (CA)	35	44	16	95
Nevada	42	37	17	96

Jeremy Dent-Smith: 20 pts (7-15 FG) 3 stls

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

11/8/2026 5:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

STATELINE, Nev. — The Saint Mary's men's basketball team once again showed off its grit and resilience on Sunday afternoon, erasing a 10-point deficit with just four minutes to play in regulation against the Nevada Wolf Pack, eventually forcing overtime before falling 96-95 in the first ever NCAA Division I Men's College Basketball Game played at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Saint Mary's closed the second half on a 17-7 run to force the extra period, and shot 6-of-9 from the field in the overtime frame, but came up just one point short in this instant classic to close out the opening week of the season.

Joshua Dent put up his first career 30 point game to lead the Gaels offensively, connecting on 10-of-17 shots from the field (both career-highs) and 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. The Gaels' starting point guard also was vital as a playmaker, with a team-high five assists. Mantas Juzenas also had a career-best scoring game, dropping 24 on the Wolf Pack, while ripping down eight boards and dishing out four assists, maintaining his team lead in both of those categories. Off the bench, Jeremy Dent-Smith was the third Gael to score at least 20 in the contest, scoring exactly 20 and swiping away three steals to bring his season tally to a team-high eight in three games.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's got out of the gates hot in the brand new arena in Stateline, Nevada, opening things up on a 9-0 run, sparked by a three and a pair of free throws by Mantas Juzenas. Nevada responded with a 9-0 run of their own, and the two sides would trade blows up to the final media break of the half, where the Wolf Pack held a narrow 34-32 lead. That lead would balloon to 10 for Nevada until Jeremy Dent-Smith buried a three in the Gaels' final possession of the frame to bring the score to 42-35 at the break. That three was one of three from Dent-Smith in the half, who led the Gaels with 12 points in 10 minutes of play.

Nevada kept the Gaels at arms length throughout most of the second half, taking a 10-point lead at 72-62 with four minutes to go. With no other options, the Gaels kicked it into high gear for the final four minutes of regulation, as Mantas Juzenas, Joshua Dent and Darius Bivins sparked a 17-7 run to close out the second half. Juzenas banked home a three with under a minute to play to tie things at 77 all, and, despite Nevada responding with a bucket, Dent hit a mid-range jumper in the Gaels' final possession to once again tie things up at 79. The Gaels would get a stop on the Wolf Pack's final possession and five more minutes were put on the clock to separate these two sides. The second half belonged to Josh Dent, who scored 22 of his 30 in the second frame on 7-of-11 shooting.

Overtime proved to be a track meet for both of these teams, with neither wanting to blink. Two minutes into the extra frame and neither team had missed a shot, as Juzenas hit his fifth three of the day to tie things at 88 all. Unfortunately, while the Gaels would tie the game three times, they never were able to sink a go-ahead bucket, as Nevada would narrowly prevail, 96-95.

GAME NOTES

The Gaels have now scored at least 90 points in three straight contests, something not done since the 1970-71 season, when they scored 111, 93 and 91 respectively against Santa Clara, Nevada and UNLV.
Helping the offense tonight was a trio of 20+ point scorers; Joshua Dent (30, career-high), Mantas Juzenas (24, career-high) and Jeremy Dent-Smith (20, Saint Mary's-high).
This is the first time since Jan. 10, 2026, and only the second time in the last 10 years, that the Gaels have had three 20+ point scorers in a game, with Dent also involved in that one along with Mikey Lewis and Paulius Murauskas against Washington State.
Dent, Juzenas and Dent-Smith all provided quite a bit more than just scoring in this one, with Dent adding a team-high five assists, Juzenas ripping down a team-best eight rebounds and Dent-Smith going for a team-leading three steals.
This is the second time in three contests this season that Saint Mary's has erased a second-half double-digit deficit to force overtime.
Saint Mary's once again took care of the basketball and won the turnover battle for the third straight game, as they have now turned it over the fewest times to open a season through three games since the 2022-23 campaign.

UP NEXT
After playing three games in the opening week of the season, the Gaels will have just one next week, returning home to host the UIC Flames on Friday, November 13. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. Get your tickets now at smcgaels.com/tickets or stream it live on ESPN+.

Tradition Built. Excellence Earned.

Built by generations of Gaels. Driven by the work that comes next.

2026–27 SINGLE GAME TICKETS — PURCHASE HERE

2026–27 SEASON TICKETS — CLAIM YOUR SEAT HERE