Dominant in Dakota: The Gaels’ Mikey Lewis scored 23 points, had four steals, and hit two free throws with five seconds left to give Saint Mary’s a three-point lead. / Photo by Jurgens Photography
Gaels Down Huskers 77–74, Hand Nebraska Their First Defeat of the Season
Freshman Mikey Lewis is dominant, putting up 23 points and four steals. For undefeated Saint Mary’s, this victory over “power-four” opponent draws national attention. For Lewis, it earns him props as both WCC Freshman of the Week and Player of the Week.
The Saint Mary's Gaels (4-0) defeated Nebraska (3-1) on Sunday afternoon in South Dakota, handing the Cornhuskers their first loss of the 2024–25 campaign. The Gaels paired sharpshooting from beyond the arc with pestering defense to pick up their fourth consecutive victory to open the season.
Gaels freshman Mikey Lewis was nothing short of dominant, putting up 23 points and four steals, and hitting two free throws with five seconds left to give the Gaels a three-point lead. Mitchell Saxen racked up his second consecutive double-double, scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Gaels Hot out of the Gates
Saint Mary’s took on Nebraska for a neutral-site game at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Temps outside were in the 50s, but the Gaels came out of the gates hot, to the tune of an 8–0 run, featuring a pair of Luke Barrett triples. They extended that lead to double-digits on a Paulius Murauskas three at the 14:21 mark, and held a double digit lead until there was just a little more than two minutes left in the half. Nebraska, however, closed out the half on an 8–1 run and trailed by just three at the break.
Luke Barrett didn't leave the floor in the first half, scoring a team high 13 on 5-8 shooting. Mikey Lewis and Paulius Muraskas each chipped in 11 and two assists, while Lewis also had three steals. Nebraska shot a better percentage than the Gaels in the first half, but a 54% three point shooting clip for SMC kept them ahead by the narrow three point margin at the half.
That Stifling Defense
Nebraska took the first lead less than a minute into the second half, and extended it out to 54–49 with 15:05 left in regulation. Back to back threes from Mikey Lewis and Augustas Marciulionis gave the Gaels back the lead. While Nebraska was able to tie things up at 60, they were never able to once again retake the lead against the stifling Gaels defense.
A pair of Nebraska free throws cut it to a one point lead with six seconds left, and the Huskers fouled Mikey Lewis on the ensuing inbound. Lewis, with ice in his veins, knocked down both free throws to give the Gaels a three-point lead. Nebraska's game tying three fell short, and the buzzer sounded with the score 77–74 Gaels.
Lewis showed out in the second half with 12 more points on 4–5 shooting and 2–3 shooting from the perimeter. Mitchell Saxen added six points and six huge rebounds to secure his second consecutive double-double.
Four Double-Doubles in a Row
By scoring 23 points, Mikey Lewis marked a new career high; he also earned a spot in Gaels annals as the first true freshman since Matthew Dellavedova to score in double figures in each of his first four games. He shot 8–14 from the field, 5–7 from three, and added four rebounds, three assists, and four steals in a career-high 29 minutes of action.
“It’s great to even be talked about in the company of Delly, somebody who not only left his mark at Saint Mary’s, but also went on to do big things in the NBA,” Lewis said after the game. “He’s an NBA champion and had a long NBA career, and these are things I aspire to do, so to be in the company of someone like that is a huge honor!”
Add to that another pair of honors on November 18: Lewis was named both West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week and Player of the Week. That hasn’t happened in the WCC at all since 2022.
Paulius Murauskas may have seen his double-double streak come to an end, but he still scored 16 and reeled in six boards. Luke Barrett chipped in 15 and was 5–9 from the field and 3–5 from three. Mitchell Saxen had 12 points and 12 rebounds, including 8 O-boards, for his second consecutive double-double.
Coming into this game, Saint Mary's was privy to the fact that Nebraska turned the ball over on average 13 times per contest. The Gaels took advantage of that with their signature defense, forcing the Huskers into 15 giveaways and turning them into 21 points. On the other end, the Gaels coughed it up just nine times, one less than their season average, and played excellent transition defense, limiting Nebraska to just 11 points off turnovers.
UP NEXT: The Gaels return home to host Stanislaus State on Wednesday, November 20. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
Story updated November 20 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific.
