Make it a three: Emily Foy drives against Montana State. She sunk five three pointers before the night was through. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
In Women’s Basketball, Gaels Lead Wire to Wire in Win Over Montana State
Emily Foy sinks five three pointers, and Saint Mary’s lands a 59–53 win at UCU Pavilion.
Saint Mary's Women's Basketball led from the opening tip to the final buzzer in a 59–53 win over Montana State on Friday night. The Gaels largest lead was 18 early in the fourth quarter, before a 7–0 run by the Bobcats late in the contest the made the final score closer than the game really was.
SMC shot 47.9% from the field and kept Montana State to just 32.7% shooting on the night. Freshman Emily Foy led the Gaels with 15 points on five three pointers for her first collegiate game in double figures scoring.
Leading to the wire
The Gaels scored five seconds into the game as Ali Bamberger tapped the opening tip to Zeryhia Aokuso before she hit a pull-up jumper, and they slowly built their lead from there.
Saint Mary’s led 14–11 after the first quarter, and kept the Bobcats to just eight points in the second to lead 30–19 at the half. Foy's second three pointer of the night put Saint Mary's up by eight early in the second quarter, and Bamberger's first bucket of the game gave the Gaels their first double-digit lead at 21–11 with 6:35 to go in the half.
The Bobcats trimmed it to seven with just under two minutes to go in the quarter, but a floater from Tayla Dalton and a layup from Addison Wedin pushed it back to 11 after SMC kept Montana State to just 3 of 11 shooting in the second quarter.
Oh Foy
Emily Foy's fifth three of the night ballooned the Saint Mary's lead to 17 with 4:50 to go in the third, and the Gaels led by 14 at the end of the quarter. A three pointer from Makena Mastora gave SMC their largest lead of the night at 53–35 with 8:35 left to play.
But Montana State wasn’t finished. The Bobcats cranked up their full-court pressure as the Gaels tried to use up clock, and they forced Saint Mary's into eight turnovers in the fourth. That trimmed the SMC lead to within single digits with just under three minutes left to play.
The final score was academic though, as the Gaels led by nine and let the shot clock run out with 8 seconds remaining in the game. The Bobcats hit a three pointer as time expired to make it a 59–53 final.
Inside the numbers
All of Foy's points came from three pointers, as she finished 5 of 11 from downtown to go along with three rebounds. Bamberger had 11 points and a game-high nine boards and five assists, and Aokuso also had 11 points.
Up next
Saint Mary's make the short trip up to UC Davis to take on the Aggies at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 10.
READ MORE: This story as it originally appears at SMCGaels.com
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