Double Double-Double night: Joshua Dent, pictured, logged 13 points and 11 assists. Teammate Andrew McKeever finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. / Photo by Alex Ahedo for SMC Athletics
Gaels Dominate Dons, 79–54, Notch 23rd Consecutive Home Victory
Paulius Murauskas racks up 20 points—leading a group of five Gaels in double figures—and pacing the West Coast Conference in scoring. Mikey Lewis scores 15, Andrew McKeever and Joshua Dent log double-doubles, and Dillan Shaw chips in 11.
Following the Gaels’ blowout of San Diego on Wednesday, Saint Mary’s logged their second 25+ point victory of the week on Saturday night—this time against the San Francisco Dons, 79–54. The win marked the Gaels’ largest margin of victory against the Dons since 2018. And it marked Saint Mary’s 23rd consecutive win at home, tying the program’s consecutive home wins record.
Paulius Murauskas led a group of five Gaels in double figures with 20 points, to go along with eight boards and four assists. Mikey Lewis added 15, burying 4–6 from beyond the arc, while Andrew McKeever and Joshua Dent each logged double-doubles. McKeever finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for his second double-double in as many meetings with the Dons this season, while Dent went for 13 points and 11 assists with just one turnover. Rounding out the group of double-digit scorers was Dillan Shaw, who came just one rebound short of his second consecutive double-double, going for 11 points and nine boards on 4–8 shooting.
Taking Care of Both Ends of the Court
Saint Mary’s took an 11 point lead into the halftime break thanks to the fact that they did two things extremely well in the frame: bogged down the paint defensively, and took care of the basketball offensively. The Gaels allowed just two made Don field goals inside the arc. And they turned the ball over just twice in the half, preventing San Francisco from scoring on either takeaway. The Gaels also took a +6 rebounding advantage into the break, due in large part to Andrew McKeever’s 10 first half rebounds, helping to the double-digit halftime advantage, 40–29.
The Gaels’ defensive intensity ramped up to another level in the second half: They held the Dons scoreless through the first 4:35. In that span, Saint Mary’s extended their lead out to 20 and never looked back. The Dons never got closer than within 17 points throughout the remainder of the contest. When the dust settled, the Gaels walked away with a 25 point victory, 79–54, after controlling the entire second half.
No. 5 in the Nation When It Comes to Home Winning Streak
In notching their 23rd home win on Saturday night and tying the program record for consecutive home wins, Saint Mary’s has now earned a notable national distinction: The Gaels are in the top five when it comes to current home winning streaks in Division I College Basketball.
For Paulius Murauskas, along with leading the Gaels in scoring on Saturday, he has now racked up 20 points or more in games 13 times this season. He continues to pace the West Coast Conference with 469 points scored—more than 50 points ahead of the nearest contenders.
Mikey Lewis drained four threes in a contest for the first time since late November against Vanderbilt. He has now connected on a team-high 49 triples this year.
After not recording a “double double-double” since their opening NCAA Tournament game last season, the Gaels have now recorded two in their last two contests, against San Diego and San Francisco. Andrew McKeever went for his second straight double-double on Saturday—and his second straight double-double against the Dons. That gives him seven double-doubles this season; he leads the Gaels and is tied for second in the conference. Joshua Dent logged his second double-double of the season, tying his career-high with 11 assists.
Saint Mary’s tied their season-high with 24 assists and set a new season-low with just five turnovers committed. This both helped the Gaels offense flow smoothly and prevented the Dons from running in transition, limiting them to just two points off turnovers and four fast break points.
Overall the Gaels finished +30 in paint scoring, their highest total against a Division I opponent this season, and +18 on the glass, their second highest total against a DI foe. When it comes to defense, the Gaels held the Dons to a 28.1% field goal clip—the lowest for USF this season. That’s the fourth time this year Saint Mary’s has held an opponent to a sub-30% field goal percentage.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame
Before the game on Saturday, Saint Mary’s welcomed three new members to the Athletics Hall of Fame. Kevin Will ’84 played football for the Gaels and was one of the best linebackers in all Division II football. Adam Bliss ’92 was a four-year member of the Men’s Soccer team—and is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Gaels. Michelle Mounts ’12 belonged to one of the best softball teams in program history, winning back-to-back Pacific Coast Softball Conference titles.
The ceremony honoring these three Gaels took place as part of the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony, hosted in Saint Mary’s Soda Center. Read more about these remarkable Gael alumni here.
Up Next: Gaels vs. Waves
The Gaels finish out their three game homestand by hosting Pepperdine on Wednesday, February 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside UCU Pavilion. Get tickets and watch the game on ESPN+.
