Gaels Ride Hot Start to 82–77 Victory Over Santa Clara

Saint Mary's (17-6, 8-0 WCC) got off to a blazing beginning against the Santa Clara Broncos (15-8, 6-2 WCC) and were able to weather a late storm en route to an 82–77 victory. After a commanding first half from the Gaels, Santa Clara rallied to cut the deficit from 25 to four in the final minute, but the mountain was too tall to climb for the Broncos, as the Gaels walked away with the five-point victory. 

In deja vu fashion from their last meeting, the Gaels got of a red hot start on both ends of the floor, building an early 16–0 run sparked by Augustas Marciulionis (7 points) and Joshua Jefferson (6 points), while holding Santa Clara to 0–9 from the field and forcing six turnovers over the first 7:30 of the game. The Broncos finally removed the lid from the basket with free throws at the 12:32 mark, but the Gaels kept the intensity up throughout the entire half, taking a 22 point lead into the halftime break, 44–22. Marciulionis led the Gaels with 11 first half points, while Mitchell Saxen chipped in seven points and five boards. Saint Mary's shot 54% from the field and 56% from three in the half. 

Not Without a Fight

The Broncos mustered up quite the fight in the second half, cutting a deficit that was as large as 25 points to just four points with 16 seconds to go. The Gaels were able to knock down their free throws down the stretch to eventually secure the victory. Alex Ducas and Augustas Marciulionis each scored nine second half points to lead the Gaels, with Ducas adding five rebounds and Marciulionis adding four assists. 

For the second consecutive game, Augustas Marciulionis played the entire 40 minutes, scoring 20 points and dishing out six assists to just one turnover. Alex Ducas added 15, while Mitchell Saxen scored 12, with each tied for the team lead with six rebounds. The Gaels picked up 27 points at the charity stripe, the most since last season when they scored 32 from the line when hosting San Francisco. 

Augustas Stays Hot

Just four days after his career-high 25 point in 40 minutes showing against LMU, Augustas Marciulionis reached the 20 point mark again while playing the full 40. Time and again Marciulionis sliced through traffic in the key to score 12 of his 20 in the paint, adding five more points at the free throw line. Just like on Saturday, Marciulionis also demonstrated pristine point guard play, dishing out a team-high six assists to just one turnover. Since the start of West Coast Conference play, Marciulionis has 50 assists to just 18 turnovers.

All Five in Double Figures

Every Gael starter reached double digit scoring against Santa Clara. This was the first time the Gaels achieved this feat this season. In fact, it was the first time that Saint Mary's had all five starters in double figures in over a decade. Behind the 20 from Marciulionis, Alex Ducas scored 15, burying four threes. Mitchell Saxen dropped 12, Aidan Mahaney had 11, and Joshua Jefferson scored 10. 

A defensive stopper, Chris Howell had the best offensive night of his career, scoring eight points—including five big free throws to help the Gaels close out the game. Howell also buried a beautiful, high-arcing triple at the 2:10 mark of the first half, and added five points in the final minute, giving the Gaels their final push to victory. 

UP NEXT: The Gaels head to Spokane for a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup in the WCC, as they get set to take on Gonzaga. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 3. The Saint Mary’s Gael Force hosts a watch party at the 1928 pub on the SMC campus.

READ MORE: This story as it was published at SMCGaels.com

Gaels Defeat LMU 70–65 at Home, Remain Unbeaten in West Coast Conference Play

Tigers Have No Answer for Red-Hot Gaels

News from around the Saint Mary’s community at the SMC NewsCenter