Dialed in: Along with 21 points, Mikey Lewis had a career-high seven assists and grabbed four steals. / Photo by Thurman James / Associated Press
Gaels Take Care of Business Against Santa Clara, 86–67. Saint Mary’s Now Plays for a Share of the West Coast Conference Title on Saturday
That’s 25 home victories in a row. Every Gael starter scores in double figures. Mikey Lewis leads with 21 points. Three Gaels rack up double-doubles: Paulius Murauskas, Dillan Shaw, and Harry Wessels. Expect an epic season finale against Gonzaga.
The Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball team kept it rolling with its seventh consecutive victory and 25th consecutive victory at home, defeating Santa Clara 86–67 in front of a sold-out crowd Wednesday night. With the win, Saint Mary’s moves into second place in the West Coast Conference—and they set up an epic showdown Saturday evening, hosting ninth-ranked Gonzaga with a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title on the line.
The Gaels are pursuing their fourth straight title—unprecedented in program history. Saint Mary’s has now guaranteed at least a second-place finish in the WCC for the 19th time in the last 23 seasons.
In the victory over the Broncos, all five Gaels starters scored in double-figures, led by Mikey Lewis, who dropped 21 points. Lewis also logged a career-high seven assists to just one turnover, along with nabbing four steals in what was arguably his best all-around game of the season. Three Gaels racked up double-doubles: Paulius Murauskas (16 points, 11 rebounds), Dillan Shaw (11 points, 14 rebounds), and Harry Wessels (10 points, 10 rebounds). Rounding out the double-digit scoring was Joshua Dent, who chipped in 14 on four made threes, and dished out a team-high eight assists.
The Winning Combination
Saint Mary’s had suffered a defeat to the Broncos at Santa Clara earlier this season—and made sure there was no repeat of that. You could feel it in the atmosphere in the UCU Pavilion. As Head Coach Randy Bennett observed to reporters afterward, Saint Mary’s students and fans brought the energy that defines the big moments in Gaels basketball. On the court, as Bennett observed, the players were dialed in. “They knew how much was at stake in that game,” Bennett said.
The Gaels (26–4, 15–2 WCC) came out of the gates hot, jumping out to an early 11–2 lead, connecting on three of their first five three-point attempts. Santa Clara (23–7, 14–3 WCC) eventually found stable ground at the midway point of the first half, even taking a 15–14 lead. But with 4:20 left in the period, the Gaels put the clamps on, surrendering just two points in that stretch, while scoring 13 of their own, including six points by Murauskas, to take a 42–36 lead into the break.
In signature Saint Mary’s fashion, the Gaels dominated in rebounding: They owned a +12 rebounding advantage in the half, including 11 first-half offensive boards, leading to 15 second-chance points.
Just like the first half, the Gaels stomped on the gas pedal early to start the second half on a 6–0 run, taking their first double-digit lead of the game. They continued to keep the Broncos at arm’s length throughout the game. And with 6:31 remaining, the Gaels embarked on a 14–2 run to really pull away and put any Santa Clara comeback hopes to bed.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Gaels walked away with a 19-point victory, 86–67. Credit rebounding in no small part; overall, the Gaels owned a +30 advantage on the glass. It was their largest margin of victory against the Broncos since they defeated them by 24 in 2024.
Saint Mary’s Is Now No. 22 in the Nation in NET Rankings
No question, Wednesday night was a team running on high octane. The Gaels had all five starters score in double-digits for the first time since last season’s opener against Towson. Saint Mary’s also logged three double-doubles in a single game for the first time since December 2024 against Pacific. Paulius Murauskas, Dillan Shaw, and Harry Wessels are the first trio of Gaels to record double-doubles in the same game since Luke Barrett, Mitchell Saxen, and Paulius Murauskas did it a year ago. Barrett and Saxen have gone on from Saint Mary’s to playing pro ball in Europe.
Along with being a dominating force on the boards, Harry Wessels also had a breakaway moment, with an exclamation point of a dunk at the end of it. “If you want to be great as a team, it has to be consistent—everyone, every play,” he said after the game.
The formidable Gael defense did its work on Wednesday night, as that final score shows. Saint Mary’s has now twice held Santa Clara to under 70 points—something that only two other teams have done once this season.
Individually, Mikey Lewis continued his recent tear, scoring in double figures for the seventh straight game—matching a streak with which he opened the season. Lewis also either tied or set new career marks in field goals made (8), field goals attempted (18), assists (7), and steals (4).
Dillan Shaw logged a career-best 14 rebounds, four more than his previous high. And he earned the second double-double of his freshman season.
Looking at career milestones, Joshua Dent surpassed 400 points for his career, and Andrew McKeever surpassed 300 points. Paulius Murauskas grabbed his 500th Saint Mary’s rebound; he needs just 10 more points to pass the 1,000 mark in his Saint Mary’s career.
In terms of NET Rankings—the primary sorting tool in DI basketball—the Gaels’ record going into Wednesday night’s game had them at No. 26 in the country. After the victory over Santa Clara, SMC is now No. 22 in the country in NET Rankings.
But the Gaels are not resting on their laurels. As Harry Wessels told reporters, the team would ride the high of victory for a few hours before bed on Wednesday night. Then it was time to focus on the next game.
Up Next: Gaels vs. Zags for the Regular Season Finale
The regular season finale takes place on Saturday, February 28, as the Gaels host ninth-ranked Gonzaga inside UCU Pavilion. This game has been esteemed one of the top 10 basketball games in the country to catch this week. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Watch the game live on ESPN.
