Undefeated Gaels Beat Shockers by 70–65 in Opening Round of Battle 4 Atlantis

The Battle 4 Atlantis certainly seemed an apropos title for Saint Mary’s (7–0) clash with Wichita State on Wednesday night. And if you’ve just begun following Gaels Basketball, then the contest at Paradise Island in the Bahamas may have looked a bit surprising—but for those longtime Gael faithful, this was classic SMC hoops. It was a matchup that delivered physical play on the board and in the trenches on both sides of the ball—a combination that helped Saint Mary's outlast the Shockers to earn a 70–65 victory.

The Gaels never led by more than 10 points, and they never trailed by more than five. It was with only one minute to go that point guard Joshua Dent locked up the game with a jump shot. The win means the Gaels move to 7–0 for the second straight year, and seventh time in program history.

Paulius Murauskas led all scorers with 20 points. It was his third 20+ point outing of the season, as he added nine rebounds as well for another stellar performance. Mikey Lewis continued to wear both scorer and playmaker hats, with 15 points and a team-high three assists to just one turnover. Andrew McKeever picked up double-double number two of his career, going for 13 points and 15 boards, his second 15+ rebounds performance this year. Joshua Dent rounded out the group of double-digit scorers with 10 points, including a perfect 6–6 clip from the stripe that helped the Gaels ice the game. 

While the Gaels had season lows in many offensive categories, Wednesday night was a demonstration of how well-rounded this team is. They can and will grind out a victory through physical play on both sides of the basketball when the shots aren't falling at the staggering rate they have throughout the young season. 

Mikey Lewis Scores, Assists, Rebounds, and Steals

Image

The Gaels couldn't have asked for a better start to the first half, opening the game on a 13–4 run over the first 5:30 of the game, forcing the Shockers into an early timeout. Whatever it was that Coach Paul Mills said to his team in that huddle connected; Wichita State responded with a 12–0 run to swing the lead in their favor, 16–13. The Shockers would expand their lead to five points at 20–15, but the Gaels stayed in the fight, as Mikey Lewis found Dillan Shaw in the corner for a game tying three with 8:56 remaining. 

Both teams continued to trade buckets throughout the remainder of the half, with the Gaels building a lead as large as three, before eventually taking a 33–31 lead into the halftime break. Mikey Lewis led the Gaels with 11 points—but was so much more than a scorer, with three boards, three assists, and two steals. Andrew McKeever added a team-high four rebounds and two blocks to go along with six points on 3–4 shooting. The Gaels won the turnover battle by a narrow 7–6 margin, but with the closeness of the game at the half, that turnover battle likely decided who led at the break. 

Down to the Wire

Wichita State tied the ballgame up twice in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, but struggled to get over the hump and out in front, due to the stymying Gaels’ defensive effort. While there was not a huge scoring run for the Gaels, they did nickel and dime their way to a 10-point lead with a pair of Joshua Dent free throw makes, bringing the score to 57–47 with 7:24 to go. 

Image

From that point on, the Shockers began to whittle away at the deficit, and while the Gaels were knocking down free throws, they went a stretch of nearly six minutes without hitting a field goal. In that time, Wichita State outscored the Gaels 16–5, taking their first lead of the second half with 1:16 remaining. 

Following a three pointer from the Shockers’ Dre Kindall that gave them a one point lead at 65–64, Gaels point guard Joshua Dent drove down the floor and with a minute to go hit a runner in the lane to push the Gaels back in front. That sparked a 6–0 run that Saint Mary's rode to victory. 

After being limited to just six points in the opening stanza, Paulius Murauskas carried the Gaels in the second half, scoring 14 points and ripping down seven boards while not leaving the floor. Joshua Dent added eight, six of which came from three perfect trips to the line. Andrew McKeever chipped in seven with 11 second half boards. 

The Gaels really imposed their will in the second half, drawing nine fouls, resulting in 18 free throw attempts, 15 of which they buried. Saint Mary's was also +5 on the boards (-3 in the first half), +3 in the turnover battle (+1 in the first half), and +10 in paint scoring (-6 in the first half). 

Another 15 Boards for McKeever

Image

Standing at 7’3”, you'd expect Andrew McKeever to be a dominant rebounder. That said, to have two 15+ rebound games in just seven total contests makes “dominant” seem like an understatement. The Livermore, California, native now joins a list of Gael greats that include Omar Samhan, Jock Landale, and Diamon Simpson—who  boast multiple 15+ rebound games in their career. McKeever is averaging 11.1 boards per game, leading the West Coast Conference, and ranking in the top 20 in the country. 

Dent’s Streak on the Stripe Continues

Joshua Dent remains perfect at the stripe for the season, knocking down all six of his attempts on Wednesday night. The sophomore out of Wollongong, Australia, now sits at 28–28 for the season. There’s a whiff of history in the wings: He is just four consecutive makes away from breaking a 78-year Saint Mary's record for most consecutive free throw makes by a single player, held by Dan Galvin and set way back in 1947–48. 

Dent has led the Gaels to an extremely solid 79.9% free throw clip for the year, with fellow Gaels Mikey Lewis (25–26), Rory Hawke (9–10), Tony Duckett (7–8), and Liam Campbell (3–3) major contributors to that cause. 

Seven and Oh…

Saint Mary's is now 7–0 for the second straight season, the fourth time under Head Coach Randy Bennett's tutelage and the seventh time in program history. The program record for best start in a season is nine straight victories. The Gaels achieved that number in the 2013–14 campaign, under Bennett, and in the 1988–89 season, when they made their second ever NCAA Tournament Appearance. 

One of Two Undefeated Teams in the West Coast Conference 

Already at the beginning of the week, CJ Moore of The Athletic had moved Saint Mary’s into No. 25 in the country. As of Wednesday, the Gaels are one of only two undefeated teams in the West Coast Conference—the other being Santa Clara. 

Saint Mary’s has already earned recognition this season for one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Along with coring 80-plus points their first six straight games, the Gaels are one of the nation’s top three-point shooting teams.

Up Next: Gaels vs. Virginia Tech in Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving Day

The undefeated Saint Mary’s Gaels take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Virginia Tech is 6–0 today after a narrow 66–64 win over Colorado State on Wednesday. Tipoff in the Imperial Arena is set for 2:30 p.m. local time/11:30 a.m. Pacific. Watch the game live on ESPN2.