Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball Clinches a Share of WCC Title on Senior Night
A victory over Pacific — and now the eyes of the nation are on the Gaels.
The last home game for Saint Mary's men's basketball this season ended with a special night unfolding. On February 23, the Gaels honored their seniors who played their final game inside University Credit Union Pavilion and gave them a pretty sweet reward: a championship.
Saint Mary's earned at least a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title in beating Pacific by a final of 83–52. That gives SMC a record of to 25–5 for the season and 14–1 in conference play—best in the WCC—with one game left.
The Title Is Locked In
With the win, Saint Mary's has locked up at least a share of the regular season title in the West Coast Conference for the first time since the 2015–16 season. This is the fourth time under head coach Randy Bennett that Saint Mary's has done so, and the seventh time in program history.
The run of dominance at the top of the conference between SMC and Gonzaga cannot be overstated, but the Gaels have been worthy challengers. Sixteen times in the last 19 seasons the Gaels finished either first or second in the WCC.
Senior report
It was Senior Night for a trio of Gaels on the court, but the night belonged to Logan Johnson. He put together another stellar game—and he came out of the gates like a man on a mission. He scored 20 points in the first half, hitting 8 out of 11, and made a pair of shots from beyond the arc. He finished the game as the leading scorer with 29 points, the fourth time in his last five games that he has scored at least 27 points. He tied a career-best with 12 made shots, and was also one assist shy of a career-best with seven.
Johnson wasn't the only senior who enjoyed a great night in his final home game. Alex Ducas was the next leading scorer for Saint Mary's, putting up 17 points in the evening in an admirable performance from beyond the arc. He went 4 for 9 from range, adding to his numbers that have already earned him a spot in top-10 in SMC history for most threes made. Ducas also led the Gaels in rebounds with seven; six of those came in the first half. While it was a quiet night offensively for Kyle Bowen—just one point—he had four rebounds, three steals, and three assists.
Final Numbers
The second half was a dominant one for the Gaels, as they held Pacific to just 21 points at 26.3% shooting for the half. Points in the paint were a huge reason that Saint Mary's won the game, outscoring the Tigers 40–16 down low.
The Gaels defense was wicked good, forcing 19 turnovers from the Tigers and leading to 23 points on the SMC side. Mitchell Saxen added 11 points and six rebounds, while Augustas Marciulionis had 10 points off the bench with four rebounds.
One more stat to note: Only four teams are unbeaten in conference play at home over the last two seasons: Saint Mary's, Colgate, South Dakota State, and Vermont.
Up Next: Final Regular Season Game at Gonzaga
The Gaels will put it all on the line on Saturday night in a showdown against No. 12 Gonzaga. If Saint Mary's wins the game, they will claim sole possession of the WCC regular season title for the first time since the 2011–12 season.
If Gonzaga wins, the teams will share the regular season title, and WCC Tournament seeding will be determined based on the NCAA NET Rankings.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on ESPN, with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Sean Farnham on the call. Fans can also catch a preview of the game on ESPN's College GameDay, which is televised beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific Time.
READ MORE: This story at SMC Gaels—and updates on SMC Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and more.