Saturday, February 14
Stockton, CA
7:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
23-4,12-2WCC
72
at
61
Pacific
17-11,8-7WCC
1
2
F
Saint Mary's (CA)
28
44
72
Pacific
30
31
61
Josh Dent: 15 pts, 8 ast, 5 stls, 1 to, 40 min
Photo by: Pacific Athletics
MBB | Second Half Surge Propels Gaels to 72-61 Win at Pacific
2/14/2026 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STOCKTON, Calif. — The Saint Mary's Gaels went into one of the more difficult gyms to win in the West Coast Conference, the Alex G. Spanos Center, and despite the Pacific Tigers stellar home record, the Gaels were able to earn a hard fought 72-61 victory. With the win, the Gaels became just the second team to best the Tigers inside the Spanos Center this season.
Paulius Murauskas was the star of tonight's show for the Gaels, dropping a career-high 32 points to go along with 14 rebounds, one shy of his career-high in that category. Joshua Dent added 15, while also stuffing the stat sheet with eight assists, five steals and just one turnover in a full 40 minutes of action. Mikey Lewis rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Gaels, with 10, all coming in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a defensive war of attrition in half number one, as the Gaels (23-4, 12-2 WCC) trailed Pacific (17-11, 8-7 WCC) by a narrow two point margin at the break. Saint Mary's closed the opening frame on an 18-9 run that featured eight of Joshua Dent's 11 first half points and two of his four assists, bringing the score to 30-28 in favor of the Tigers at the halftime horn.
Including a bucket from Paulius Murauskas at the halftime horn, the Gaels opened the second half on a 15-2 run, and never looked back, building their lead to as large as 13 points, before eventually finishing off an 11 point win as the final buzzer sounded. Murauskas scored 27 of the Gaels 44 second half points, putting the team on his back and carrying them to victory.
GAME NOTES
The Gaels will continue their three game road trip in the state of Washington, taking on Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, February 18. Tip-off is set for 6 PM and can be watched live on CBS Sports Network.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Paulius Murauskas was the star of tonight's show for the Gaels, dropping a career-high 32 points to go along with 14 rebounds, one shy of his career-high in that category. Joshua Dent added 15, while also stuffing the stat sheet with eight assists, five steals and just one turnover in a full 40 minutes of action. Mikey Lewis rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Gaels, with 10, all coming in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a defensive war of attrition in half number one, as the Gaels (23-4, 12-2 WCC) trailed Pacific (17-11, 8-7 WCC) by a narrow two point margin at the break. Saint Mary's closed the opening frame on an 18-9 run that featured eight of Joshua Dent's 11 first half points and two of his four assists, bringing the score to 30-28 in favor of the Tigers at the halftime horn.
Including a bucket from Paulius Murauskas at the halftime horn, the Gaels opened the second half on a 15-2 run, and never looked back, building their lead to as large as 13 points, before eventually finishing off an 11 point win as the final buzzer sounded. Murauskas scored 27 of the Gaels 44 second half points, putting the team on his back and carrying them to victory.
GAME NOTES
- Paulius Murauskas dropped a career-high 32 points, 27 of which came in the second half, as the Gaels erased a halftime deficit in the 11 point win.
- Murauskas added 14 boards, one shy of his career-high, for his fifth double-double of the season.
- Including his season at Arizona, Murauskas has now scored over 1000 points in his collegiate career. He has scored 942 in his time at Saint Mary's.
- Joshua Dent played his ninth full 40 minute contest, and finished by stuffing the statsheet to the tune of 15 points, eight assists, five steals and just one turnover.
- Dent now holds an impressive team-high 2.57 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- With two blocked shots, Harry Wessels entered the top-10 in program history, with 83 for his career.
- Murauskas also connected on seven free throw attempts for the night, moving within the top-10 for single season free throw makes in program history, now with 147.
- The Gaels turned the ball over a season-low four times, while forcing 15 Pacific turnovers, and turning those into 18 points.
- Saint Mary's also completed their second victory of the season when trailing at halftime.
- In true road games dating back to the 2022-23 season, the Gaels are now 30-5, the second best road record of any NCAA DI institution in that span.
The Gaels will continue their three game road trip in the state of Washington, taking on Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, February 18. Tip-off is set for 6 PM and can be watched live on CBS Sports Network.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
SMC
PAC
FG%
.400
.415
3FG%
.296
.500
FT%
.857
.818
RB
37
36
TO
4
15
STL
7
1
Game Leaders
Pts
32
FGM
11
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Saint Mary's vs. Pacific Highlights, 2-14-26
Saturday, February 14
MBB | Randy Bennett Postgame at Pacific, 2-14-26, Presented by University Credit Union
Saturday, February 14
MBB | Randy Bennett Postgame vs. Pepperdine, 2-11-26, Presented by University Credit Union
Wednesday, February 11
MBB | Saint Mary's vs. Pepperdine Highlights, 2-11-26
Wednesday, February 11
