Gaels Defeat UTSA in Overtime 82–74

A game that looked like it was all Gaels at the beginning turned into a hard fought victory in overtime for Saint Mary’s (8–1), as they defeated the UTSA Roadrunners (3–4) at the UCU Pavilion Tuesday night, 82–74. SMC trailed for just 30 seconds by 3–2 in the first half, but that didn't stop the Roadrunners from making things interesting. While UTSA was able to throw blow after blow, Saint Mary's never allowed them to throw a knockout punch, keeping things level and answering every big Roadrunner shot with a bucket of their own—and eventually getting the stops they needed to pick up the overtime win. 

Augustas Marciulionis led the way for the Gaels and surpassed the 20-point mark for the second time this season, scoring 23 points on 7–11 shooting and 8–10 shooting from the stripe. Three Gaels earned double-doubles. Mitchell Saxen picked up his fourth double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 15 points and tying a season-high with 13 boards—moving into the top-10 in SMC program history in rebounding. Saxen also was once again able to demonstrate his incredible defensive prowess, with four steals, four blocks, and countless other shots altered. Luke Barrett notched his third double-double of the season and his career, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. And Paulius Murauskas added his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards. He continues to rank in the top-10 in the NCAA in double-doubles.

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Facing the zone

The Gaels came out of the gates hot defensively and jumped out to a 30–7 lead through the first 12 minutes, holding the Roadrunners to just two made field goals in that stretch. UTSA then switched to a zone defense, something the Gaels haven't seen much of this season. The Roadrunners were able cut the deficit to 14 points, outscoring the Gaels 18–9, bringing the score to 39–25 at halftime. 

Augustas Marciulionis led the way for the Gaels in half one with 11 points and three assists. Mitchell Saxen added eight points and six boards, which moved him into the top-10 in program history in rebounding.

The UTSA zone continued to puzzle the Gaels in half number two; they outscored Saint Mary's 42–28 in the second frame. The Gaels did extend their lead to 19 points at 59–40 with 11:10 to go in regulation, but they were outscored 27-8 down the stretch—and Roadrunners were able to tie things up at 63 with 2:12 remaining, then again 67–67 with six seconds left. A three point attempt at the buzzer by Jordan Ross fell short, and the Gaels headed to overtime for the first time in nearly a year. 

In the half, Augustas Marciulionis added eight more points and four more assists, as he continued to try and steer the Gaels’ ship through the storm. Paulius Murauskas and Luke Barrett each added six, with Murauskas and Mitchell Saxen each ripping down six second half rebounds. But the Gaels shot just 36% from the field, 11% from three, and saw their free throw percentage fall from 83.3% in the first half to just 70.6% by the end of regulation. Saint Mary's also turned the ball over 10 times in the second half, resulting in 16 Roadrunner points. 

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Putting the game to bed in overtime

The Gaels opened the extra frame on a 6–0 run over the first two minutes, and they never looked back. It was a Mitchell Saxen three-point play that seemed to put the game to bed: The Roadrunners were back within one possession with two minutes left, and Saxen converted the layup to bring the deficit back to five with a free throw. Final score: 82–74 Gaels.

Mitchell Saxen scored five points in overtime, not missing from the field (1–1) or from the stripe (3–3). Paulius Murauskas added four points and three ferocious rebounds, including two of the offensive variety. In the extra frame, the Gaels shot 4–6 from the field and 7–9 from the stripe. Most important of all, they did not turn the ball over once. 

SUB: Triple double-double, and Saxen’s top-10

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In scoring 23 points, Augustas Marciulionis played all but the final nine seconds of the game; he also had a team-best eight assists to go along with three steals. Mitchell Saxen picked up his fourth double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 15 points and tying a season-high with 13 boards. Add to that the double-doubles from Luke Barrett and Paulius Murauskas. That marked the second triple double-double of the season for the Gaels. That trio also accounted for 39 of the Gaels’ 82 points and 36 of their 45 rebounds.

Despite the game being so tight, the Gaels were still able to play their physical brand of basketball, outscoring the Roadrunners 38–24 in the paint, which helped soften the blow of a 3–21 shooting night from beyond the arc. Saint Mary's made 43 trips to the free throw line, drawing 28 UTSA fouls, and connecting on 31 of those attempts. It was their most makes from the charity stripe since the 2022–23 season. The Gaels started off red-hot from the stripe, connecting on 18 of their first 21, but shot just 9–16 in the second half, before rebounding to close things out with a 7–9 performance in overtime. Paulius Murauskas was the most frequent visitor to the free throw line, shooting 8–11 after drawing nine UTSA fouls. Augustas Marciulionis was not far behind, going 8–10. Off the bench, Ashton Hardaway and Harry Wessels combined to go a perfect 6–6. 

Mitchell Saxen needed just six rebounds to get to the top 10 in program history in rebounding. He more than doubled that, with 13 on Tuesday night, bringing him to 719 for his career, surpassing LaRoy Doss ’59 for tenth all-time. Saxen now ranks in the top 10 in rebounds, blocks (fifth, with 123) and blocks per game (fifth, with 0.95), and with 131 games played is one game played shy of joining the top-10 in that category. 

UP NEXT: The Gaels hit the road to Salt Lake City for their only true road contest of the non-conference slate, squaring off with the University of Utah on December 7. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.