Ten points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals: Augustas Marciulionis / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Gonzaga Forces Season Split with the Gaels in Regular Season Finale
Saint Mary’s finishes with 15–1 record in West Coast Conference play, the WCC Title, and the only perfect road record in the country. And the Gaels pay tribute to seniors Alex Ducas, Mitchell Saxen, Mason Forbes, and manager Taj Shokar.
All good things must come to an end. The Saint Mary's Gaels (24–7, 15–1 West Coast Conference) entered the day already having secured the WCC Championship with a victory over Pepperdine on February 29. They finished their games on the road with the only perfect record in the country. Saint Mary’s also brought the nation’s longest winning streak—16 games in a row—but that was ended by the Gonzaga Bulldogs (24–6, 14–2 WCC), who used a 12 minute surge in the second half to get enough separation to keep the Gaels at arm’s length throughout the remainder of the contest. Final score: 70–57 Gonzaga.
The Gaels put together a strong second half, outsourcing the Zags, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit. The result of Saturday night’s game makes for a regular season split, after Saint Mary’s victory in Spokane on February 3. There’s the potential of the two rivals and perennial WCC title contenders colliding again in Las Vegas at the WCC Championship on March 12.
On Saturday night in Moraga, the Gaels defense held tough against the potent offense of the Zags for the first seven minutes and change, keeping Gonzaga to four of their first 12 from the field, and enabling Saint Mary’s to take a 12–10 lead early. Then the flood gates opened for the Zags, who closed the half on a 34–16 run, shooting 14–16 from the field over the final 12:07 of the half. The Gaels were able to keep the game somewhat close due to strong three point shooting, knocking down more three pointers than layups in the first frame, two of which came from Alex Ducas. Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with nine points in the first half, while Augustas Marciulionis racked up three points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Gaels were +6 on the glass at the half, but they only managed to turn 10 offensive boards into six second chance points.
Outscoring Gonzaga in the Second Half
After Gonzaga drained the first bucket of the second half, the Gaels went on a 10–0 run, sparked by Aidan Mahaney, to cut the deficit to eight. But that would be as close as Saint Mary’s would get to the Zags for the remainder of the contest. The defense for the Gaels certainly shored up in half number two, limiting the Zags to just 26 second half points—the second fewest points the Zags have scored in a single half this season; they only scored 25 in the second half vs. Washington. Offensively, Mahaney contributed 13 of the Gaels’ 29 second half points.
Aidan Mahaney led the Gaels overall with 16 points, burying three triples. Mitchell Saxen scored 13 to go along with five rebounds, while Augustas Marciulionis dropped 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. The Gaels’ leading rebounder was Alex Ducas, who ripped down seven to go along with his nine points and four assists.
Senior Salute
As is customary for the final home game of the season, the Gaels honored their three seniors—Mitchell Saxen, Mason Forbes, and Alex Ducas, as well as manager Taj Shokar—in a pregame ceremony on the court. All three of the Gaels players made contributions in this game. Forbes scored four points, ripped down five rebounds, and added another shot block to his tally this season. Alex Ducas buried three more three pointers, bringing his career tally to 270; he is now 18 shy of Matthew Dellavedova's program record. Saxen tallied 13 to go along with five rebounds, three of which were of the offensive variety, where he ranks in the top 10 in the country.
Second Half Adjustments
After surrendering 44 points in the first half to the Zags, and allowing them to shoot 64% from the field in the first frame, the Gaels were able to make the adjustments needed to stay competitive with Gonzaga in the second half—and limit Gonzaga to 40% shooting from the field. Saint Mary’s also shot better from beyond the arc in half number two, but it was not enough to overcome the 16 point deficit that they took into the halftime break.
Continuing to Board
Over the course of the game the Gaels dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Zags 38 to 27, including 17 offensive rebounds. Alex Ducas led the Gaels with seven rebounds, while Augustas Marciulionis had six, and Mitchell Saxen and Mason Forbes each had five. Unfortunately, the Gaels only converted their 17 rebounds to 10 second chance points, something they will certainly need to improve upon during postseason play.
Constantly improving has been the mantra for the Gaels, and that doesn’t stop now. They have just over a week of prep and practice before their postseason play begins.
Up Next: WCC Tournament Semifinals
The Gaels head to Las Vegas for the WCC Tournament, where they will be off until the semifinals on Monday, March 11, with tip off at 6 p.m. In that spot, the Gaels could see any of the following schools: Santa Clara, San Diego, Pepperdine, or Pacific.
READ MORE: This story as it appears at SMCGaels.com
Gaels Defeat Pepperdine to Clinch First Outright Regular Season Conference Title Since 2012
No. 17 Gaels Lock up a Share of the WCC Regular Season Title with Big Win over San Diego
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Photos by Francis Tatem
