Onward and upward: Jordan Ross drives past Vanderbilt guards to the basket. Ross had a stellar night, leading the Gaels with 15 points and three assists. / Photo by AP Photo/David Richard
Saint Mary’s Erases Vanderbilt’s Advantage in the Second Half, 59–56, Keeping #GaelMadness Alive and Well
It was a gritty, physical matchup with the Commodores, but tenacious defense and ferocious rebounding won the day. Now, the Gaels are moving on to Round Two of the NCAA Tournament, for the third time in four years.
For a moment, it looked like Friday’s opening-round game of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament might not go the Gaels' way. But in signature Saint Mary’s fashion, the Gaels erased a double-digit second-half deficit with a combination of tenacious defense and ferocious rebounding, defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores (20–13) 59–56.
Saint Mary's held Vanderbilt to a season-low 56 points, giving the Commodores no breathing room on the offensive end to generate open looks. Saint Mary’s now moves onto the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years, and the sixth time in program history.
First Half Hiccups
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early 4–0 lead before Luke Barrett nearly single-handedly gave the Gaels their first lead at 5–4, burying a three and a putback layup. Unfortunately for the Gaels, that was one of only two first-half threes—the other belonging to Mitchell Saxen, his first since his freshman year—and their only offensive rebound of the half.
The turnover bug that plagued the Gaels in their last contest in Vegas reared its head again. Saint Mary's coughed the ball up six times in the first half, resulting in 10 Vanderbilt points, but the Gaels’ physical defense kept things from getting out of hand. After a steal by Luke Barrett prevented Vanderbilt from firing off the final shot of the half, the Gaels nevertheless found themselves down 29–22 at the break.
For scoring in the first half, Luke Barrett led the way for the Gaels with seven points, while Mitchell Saxen chipped in six and five boards. The Gaels were able to win the rebounding battle, 17–15, but had just one offensive board, resulting in two second-chance points. Despite their smaller size, Vanderbilt’s ability to run in transition gave them an 18–12 lead on points in the paint.
The Three-Pointer Parade
Paulius Murauskas hit the first basket of the second half, cutting the deficit to five. But the Gaels made just one of their next ten shots, while Vanderbilt connected on three of their first five field goal attempts, extending their lead out to 39–27 with 16:20 remaining. From that point, however, the Gaels put the defensive clamps on, recording stop after stop, allowing the offense to find their footing.
Things got started with a 6–0 run generated by Jordan Ross and Mitchell Saxen to cut the deficit in half with 13:10 to play. After a split pair of free throws, Ross canned the first three-pointer of the second half for the Gaels, bringing the score to 40–36 Vanderbilt, with 12:33 to go. The Ross and Saxen show continued all the way to the 8:03 mark, when another Ross triple tied things up at 43 all.
Vanderbilt took their final lead at 45–43 with 7:19 left, but an Augustas Marciulionis three gave the Gaels their first lead since the first half. With 4:51, Vanderbilt knotted things up again at 50–50. But the Saint Mary’s three-point barrage continued as Marciulionis and Luke Barrett buried back-to-back perimeter jumpers to give the Gaels a six-point lead that they did not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
The Commodores did attempt a pair of three-point jumpers off in the final seconds, but the Gaels’ stifling defense ensured those shots were ultra-contested. With neither going down, the game ended with a Saint Mary's victory, 59–56.
Comeback Kids
Heading into this one, Saint Mary's had only trailed at halftime four times this season, going 1–3 in those efforts. That said, on Friday afternoon the Gaels overcame multiple double-digit deficits and a seven-point halftime deficit to earn a win. Down 12 with 16:20 remaining in the game, the Gaels closed things out on a 32–17 run to earn the victory.
It was a well-balanced offensive attack from the Gaels, who had four scorers in double figures. Jordan Ross led the way with 15 points on 6–11 shooting and 2–4 shooting from three. Ross also led the team with three assists and a career-high three blocked shots. The 15 points were the most by Ross since November 2024, when he scored his career-best mark of 19 against Arizona State.
Not far behind Ross in scoring was Augustas Marciulions, dropping 14 points while ripping down eight boards, a new season-high and one of his career highs. Rounding out the group, Mitchell Saxen and Luke Barrett both recorded 12-point double-doubles, with Saxen ripping down 11 boards, and Barrett bringing down 10. It was their 10th and seventh double-doubles of the season, respectively.
Jordan Ross Loves March Madness
In last year’s tournament, Jordan Ross had a bit of a coming-out party against Grand Canyon. While only playing 10 minutes, Ross connected on both of his field goal attempts, one to bring the Gaels within one point and one to give the Gaels the lead.
Shouldering a bigger load now in his sophomore season, Ross continued to shine under the brightest lights, leading the Gaels with 15 points and three assists. In two career March Madness games, Ross is shooting 8–13 from the field and 2–4 from three, and looks to continue to lead the Gaels, now making his first appearance in the round of 32.
Age Over Beauty
In a gritty, physical matchup in postseason basketball, the Gaels were able to turn to their seniors, Augustas Marciulionis, Luke Barrett, and Mitchell Saxen—each now with four NCAA tournament appearances under their belts—to steady the ship in stormy weather. Things got started with Barrett, scoring seven of the first nine points for Saint Mary’s. In the middle part of the game, it was Saxen doing the dirty work, pairing up with Ross for a 14–4 run to go from down 10 to tied.
Marciulionis then served as closer, burying two threes and two free throws over the final seven minutes, helping the Gaels gain the lead and thwart any comeback attempts from Vandy late.
UP NEXT
The Gaels move onto the Round of 32 and face second-seeded Alabama on Sunday, March 23, at 6:10 p.m. Eastern / 3:10 p.m. Pacific. The game will be broadcast live on TNT. Saint Mary's is hosting a Watch Party at Dryden Hall and the 1928 Pub, and Saint Mary's alumni watch parties are happening across the San Francisco Bay Area, throughout California, and around the country. Find a watch party near you!
