Career night: Joshua Dent scored 30 points to lead the Gaels—and delivered a team-high five assists. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Gaels Complete Late Comeback to Force Overtime, Fall by One to Nevada
Three Gaels scored at least 20 points, with Joshua Dent hitting 30, and Saint Mary’s roared back from a 10-point deficit in regulation to tie it up. But in OT the Wolf Pack narrowly prevailed, 96–95.
The Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball team once again showed off its grit and resilience on Sunday afternoon, erasing a 10-point deficit with just four minutes to play in regulation against the Nevada Wolf Pack, eventually forcing overtime before falling 96–95. In the first ever NCAA Division I Men’s College Basketball Game played at the new Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline, Nevada, Saint Mary’s closed the second half on a 17–7 run to force the extra period. The Gaels shot 6–9 from the field in the overtime frame but came up just one point short in this instant classic to close out the opening week of the season.
Joshua Dent put up his first career 30 point game to lead the Gaels offensively, connecting on 10-of-17 shots from the field (both career-highs) and 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. The Gaels’ starting point guard also was vital as a playmaker, with a team-high five assists. Mantas Juzenas also had a career-best scoring game, dropping 24 on the Wolf Pack, while ripping down eight boards and dishing out four assists. Off the bench, Jeremy Dent-Smith was the third Gael to score at least 20 in the contest—scoring exactly 20—and swiping away three steals to bring his season tally to a team-high eight in three games.
Down to the Wire
Saint Mary’s got out of the gates hot in the brand new arena, opening things up on a 9–0 run, sparked by a three and a pair of free throws by Mantas Juzenas. Nevada responded with a 9–0 run of their own, and the two sides traded blows up to the final media break of the half, where the Wolf Pack held a narrow 34–32 lead. That lead would balloon to 10 for Nevada until Jeremy Dent-Smith buried a three in the Gaels’ final possession of the frame to bring the score to 42–35 at the halftime break. That three was one of three from Dent-Smith in the half, who led the Gaels with 12 points in 10 minutes of play.
Nevada kept the Gaels at arm’s length throughout most of the second half, taking a 10-point lead at 72–62 with four minutes to go. With no other options, the Gaels kicked it into high gear for the final four minutes of regulation: Mantas Juzenas, Joshua Dent, and Darius Bivins sparked a 17–7 run to close out the second half. Juzenas banked home a three with under a minute to play to tie things at 77 all. Nevada responded with a bucket, and Dent hit a mid-range jumper in the Gaels’ final possession to once again tie things up at 79. The Gaels got a stop on the Wolf Pack’s final possession, and into overtime they went. The second half belonged to Josh Dent, who scored 22 of his 30 in the second frame on 7-of-11 shooting.
Overtime proved to be a track meet for both teams. Two minutes into the extra frame neither team had missed a shot. Juzenas hit his fifth three of the day to tie things at 88 all—one of three times the Gaels managed to tie the game. But Saint Mary’s was never able to sink a go-ahead bucket, and at the end of the OT five Nevada narrowly prevailed, 96–95.
Scoring Big to Kick off the Season
This is the second game this season that Saint Mary’s has come from behind to force overtime; in the season opener, they went on to defeat Illinois State 90–85.
Which figures into this: The Gaels have now scored at least 90 points in three straight contests, something not done since the 1970–71 season. (That year kicked off with 111 against Santa Clara, 93 against Nevada, and 91 against UNLV.) Helping the offense on Sunday was that trio of 20+ point scorers: Joshua Dent (30, career-high), Mantas Juzenas (24, career-high) and Jeremy Dent-Smith (20, Saint Mary’s-high). This is only the second time in the last 10 years that the Gaels have had three 20+ point scorers in a game.
Dent, Juzenas, and Dent-Smith all provided quite a bit more than just scoring. Dent added a team-high five assists, Juzenas ripped down a team-best eight rebounds, and Dent-Smith went for a team-leading three steals.
UP NEXT: Veterans Appreciation Game: Gaels host UIC on November 13
After playing three games in the opening week of the season, the Gaels will have just one this week, returning home to host the UIC Flames on Friday, November 13. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in UCU Pavilion. As part of Veterans Week at Saint Mary’s, this is a special Veterans Appreciation Game.
The Saint Mary’s Women’s Basketball team also plays this week, hosting Cal State Chico on November 10 at 7 p.m. This is both the season opener for the Gaels and Veterans Appreciation Game.
For both games, get your tickets now at smcgaels.com/tickets or stream them live on ESPN+.
