Gaels Outlast Pesky Arkansas State Squad to Lock Up 85–72 Win

Saint Mary's Men’s Basketball (5–0) logged another double-digit victory on Wednesday night, their fifth straight to start the season, defeating Arkansas State (3–2) 85–72. But the Red Wolves did something that no other Gael opponent had done this season: keep the game within a single digit margin for a good chunk of the second half. While the pesky Red Wolves were able to curtail long scoring runs for the Gaels with their quick strike ability offensively, the Gaels were able to eventually wear them down, leading by double digits for the final 9:34 of the game en route to the 13-point victory. 

Paulius Murauskas led all scorers with 24 points and came up just one rebound shy of a double-double. The scoring output was the highest this season for Murauskas—and the best since his 30 point game on Lithuania Night against Washington State last February. Mikey Lewis chipped in 17, continuing to bury threes at an incredible rate, knocking down 3–5 to go along with five boards and a career-high six assists, and only giving up one turnover. Big man Andrew McKeever earned his first career double-double: He matched his career-high with 16 points while also rejecting a career-high five shots and ripping down a career-best 17 boards. That’s the most rebounds by a Gael since Jock Landale ripped down 19 against Pepperdine in the 2018 WCC Tournament. 

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Defending WCC Freshman of the Week Liam Campbell rounded out the double-digit scoring, going for 15 on a highly efficient 5–7 from the field and 3–4 from three. The Gaels shot 50% from three, making it the third game this season in which they have shot 50% or better from beyond the arc, something they did just once all of last season. As a testament to their physicality, the Gaels got to the free throw line 33 times, and for the fifth time in five tries this season, they shot better than 75%, converting 25 of those 33 attempts. 

Offensive Fireworks

The first half was full of offensive fireworks on both sides from the opening tip. Arkansas State drained a triple on the opening possession, but the Gaels responded with a 6–0 run to push ahead early. Saint Mary's would balloon that lead up to eight at 21–13 following back to back threes from Mikey Lewis and Joshua Dent, but the Red Wolves responded with a 9–0 run over the next three minutes to regain the lead at 22–21. As he so often does, Mikey Lewis removed the lid from the Gaels’ bucket with a layup to push them back ahead 23–22, and they would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the half. That Lewis layup would spark a 25–11 run for Saint Mary's that gave them their largest lead of the half at 46–33, but a three and a three-point play from the Red Wolves brought the deficit to eight at the halftime horn, 47–39. 

Paulius Murauskas led a trio of double-digit scorers in the half for the Gaels, with 12, while Mikey Lewis and Andrew McKeever each added 10. McKeever also added 11 first half rebounds for his first collegiate double-double, doing so in a single half, while also rejecting three Red Wolves shots. Lewis and Joshua Dent finished the half with a team-high four assists each, while only giving up one turnover between them. The Gaels continued to knock down shots at an astonishing rate, shooting 53% from the field. 

Dialing in the Defense

Both offenses cooled off a bit in the second half, as each team’s defense tightened up. Arkansas State threw the first punch of the frame with an 8–3 run to cut the deficit to just three, but Liam Campbell and Mikey Lewis generated eight straight points of their own to restore the lead to double digits. The Red Wolves continued to keep at or near that ten-point margin until Paulius Murauskas put the nail in the coffin, generating an 8–0 run over a stretch of just under 2:30 to push Saint Mary's ahead by 18 with 5:47 to play. The Red Wolves never fell out of the fight, getting the score back to as close to 11, before ultimately falling by 13. 

Paulius Murauskas continued his high level of offensive production in the second half, adding another 12 in the frame, and leading the team with seven boards. While they only took four attempts from beyond the arc, the Gaels continued to knock down shots from distance at a 50% clip, with Mikey Lewis and Liam Campbell each burying a three pointer to each notch seven points. After struggling from the stripe in the first half, converting on just nine of their 14 free throw attempts, the Gaels were much more efficient in the second half, converting on 16 of 19 attempts. 

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A Massive Statline for a Massive Man

Standing at 7’3”, Andrew McKeever has put up some stellar rebounding totals this young season. But he had only broken into double-digit scoring once before Wednesday night, against Chattanooga. Against the Red Wolves, McKeever continued to dominate on the glass, going for a career-high 17 boards, including half of the Gaels’ 12 team offensive boards. He also got the scoring going, matching his high of 16 points against Chattanooga. This time he did it on just nine field goal attempts. He was also a magnet for fouls, drawing seven. The big man showed sharper free throw shooting as well; he buried 8–12 attempts. 

To put that into perspective, McKeever went 4–13 from the stripe all of last season—so he doubled his makes on one fewer attempt Wednesday night. McKeever also more than doubled his previous career-high for blocked shots, rejecting five Red Wolves layup attempts. That makes him the first Gael since Jordan Hunter in 2019 to record five blocks in a game. 

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A Bevy of Career Highs

Andrew McKeever was not the only Gael to reach career marks on Wednesday. Point guard Joshua Dent matched his career-high with seven assists, while his backcourt mate Mikey Lewis set a new career-high with six dimes. Playing a career-high 33 minutes, Liam Campbell matched his career best of three made threes for the third consecutive game. Defensively, Paulius Murauskas joined McKeever as a member of the "Swat team" with a career-high two rejections, as the Gaels logged a season-best seven as a team. 

Up Next: Gaels vs. UC Merced Bobcats 

The Gaels welcome in NCAA Division II opponent UC Merced on Saturday, November 22. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. inside UCU Pavilion. Purchase tickets and watch the game on ESPN+.