Saint Mary’s Maia Jones drives against Denver. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Stout Defense Leads SMC Women’s Basketball to Victory in Home Debut, 69–64 over Denver
Gaels come on strong in the final quarter to defeat Denver.
The Saint Mary's women’s basketball team made their home debut in their second-ever matchup with Denver Saturday afternoon and came away with the 69–64 victory. The Gaels overcame an early nine-point deficit in the first quarter and went on to lead by as many as twelve points in the third quarter.
Denver made a late push, eventually tying the game up at 49, but Gaels head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad were 8–10 from the field in the fourth quarter to seal the five-point win. Kennedy Johnson led the way with 16 points, while Maia Jones and Abigail Shoff combined for 25 on the night.
Three-Pointers Aplenty
Denver made it clear early on that they were committed to going the distance. They quickly jumped out to a nine-point lead and finished the first quarter with four three-pointers. SMC’s Edie Clarke and Melesungu Afeaki connected on jumpers in the paint to cut the lead down to five in the final two minutes, but the Pioneers hit a pair of three balls to push the lead back to nine after the first ten minutes.
The Gaels responded nicely, however, outscoring Denver 26–17 in the second quarter and shooting nearly 70% from the field. They started the period on a 7–0 run that was capped off by a three-ball from Maia Jones. Just a few possessions later, Jones connected on another three ball to help spark the offense as they finished the quarter 11–16 from the field.
Despite the offensive explosion for Saint Mary’s, Denver still managed to shoot 50% from the field and hit another trio of three-pointers to knot the game at 35 at the break. Melesungu Afeaki and Abigail Shoff were very effective on both ends of the floor and helped force five Pioneer turnovers and combined for eight points in the second quarter.
Delivering Against Denver
In the second half, the Gaels put together their best quarter of the game, coming out on a 12–0 scoring run. Great intensity on the defensive side of the ball helped force four turnovers, and Kennedy Johnson led the way with six points during that stretch. Johnson continues to have a stellar start to her Gaels career, finishing the afternoon with 16 points and her second straight game in double figures.
The fourth quarter got a little messy for both sides, as Denver stepped up their defensive effort to help spark a 14–2 run of their own. At the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, the Pioneers managed to tie the game at 49. Once again, though, Saint Mary's answered with an 8–0 run with key buckets from Johnson and Shoff.
Turnovers plagued the Gaels late, as they had seven in the quarter and 23 for the game, allowing the Pioneers to hang around. Despite trailing by ten with four to play, Denver made a late surge, cutting the deficit to just two points with only 1:08 remaining. Ultimately, the Gaels sealed their win, going 6–8 from the free-throw line. Shoff secured a substantial defensive rebound off a missed Pioneers layup with 13 seconds remaining, which sent her to the line.
An Impressive Performance
Shoff recorded her first double-digit performance of her SMC career, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, and five first-half assists. The Gaels bench was also incredibly efficient, outsourcing Denver's bench 28-5. Ella Wedin and Melesungu Afeakia combined for 11 points off the bench, and Jones was 5–11 from the field to lead all bench scorers with 13 points.
Saint Mary's showcased their defensive strength as well, holding Denver to just 25% from three as they connected on just one three-ball the entire second half. Saint Mary”s also forced 15 turnovers, and the Gaels scored 17 points in the game off those.
Looking Ahead: Saint Mary's improves to 1–1 on the season after taking down Denver in their home opener. They will hit the road in the next two weeks, taking on UC San Diego and UC Irvine. Ticket and stream links can be found at smcgaels.com.
