Full 40: For the ninth game this season, Joshua Dent didn’t leave the floor. / Photo Courtesy Pacific Athletics
Second Half Surge Propels Gaels to 72–61 Win at Pacific
Paulius Murauskas drops a career-high 32 points to go with 14 rebounds. Joshua Dent adds 15 along with eight assists, and Mikey Lewis scores 10.
On Saturday night the Saint Mary's Gaels headed into one of the more difficult arenas to win in the West Coast Conference—the Alex G. Spanos Center, home of the Pacific Tigers. And despite Pacific’s stellar home record, the Gaels turned on the afterburners in the second half and were able to earn a hard fought victory, 72–61. With the win, the Gaels become just the second team to best the Tigers inside the Spanos Center this season.
Paulius Murauskas was the star of Saturday night’s show for the Gaels, dropping a career-high 32 points to go along with 14 rebounds, one shy of his career-high in that category. Joshua Dent added 15, while also stuffing the stat sheet with eight assists, five steals, and just one turnover in a full 40 minutes of action. Mikey Lewis rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Gaels, with 10, all coming in the second half.
A Tale of Two Halves
It was a defensive war of attrition in half number one, as the Gaels (23–4, 12–2 WCC) trailed Pacific (17–11, 8–7 WCC) by a narrow two point margin at the break. Saint Mary’s closed the opening frame on an 18–9 run that featured eight of Joshua Dent's 11 first half points and two of his four assists, bringing the score to 30–28 in favor of the Tigers at the halftime horn.
The Gaels opened the second half on a 15–2 run, and they never looked back. Saint Mary’s built a lead to as large as 13 points before eventually finishing off an 11 point win as the final buzzer sounded. Murauskas scored 27 of the Gaels’ 44 second half points, carrying the team to victory.
The Gaels are ranked in the top five in the country when it comes to rebounding margin. But in the first half they were outrebounded 22–14 by Pacific; up until Saturday, the Tigers had led every WCC team they faced in rebounds. Saint Mary’s turned the tables in the second half, ultimately coming out on top on the glass, 37–36.
Turnovers were a different story: The Gaels turned the ball over a season-low four times, while forcing 15 Pacific turnovers, and turning those into 18 points.
A Thousand Points and Some Top Tens
In scoring 32 points and racking up 14 boards, Paulius Murauskas also notched his fifth double-double of the season. The Valentine’s Day game was a milestone for Murauskas as well: Including his one season at Arizona, he has now scored over 1,000 points in his collegiate career. He has scored 942 in his time at Saint Mary’s.
Murauskas also connected on seven free throw attempts for the night, making it 147 for the season—moving him into the top 10 for single season free throw makes in program history.
Aussie big man Harry Wessels had two blocked shots, which gains him entry to top 10 in program history, with 83 for his career.
For Joshua Dent, Saturday marked his ninth full 40 minute contest. Those eight assists and one turnover figure into his impressive team-high 2.57 assist-to-turnover ratio.
In true road games dating back to the 2022–23 season, the Gaels are now 30–5, the second best road record of any NCAA DI institution in that span.
Up Next: Gaels vs. Redhawks
The Gaels continue their three game road trip in the state of Washington, taking on Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, February 18. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Watch live on CBS Sports Network.
