Tops in the conference: Paulius Murauskas is averaging 19.6 points per game. / Photo by Evan Roehrig for SMC Athletics
Well Balanced Attack Helps Gaels Down Dons 82–68 on the Road
Paulius Murauskas leads with 21 points—and is the top scorer per game in the West Coast Conference. Joshua Dent adds 19. Andrew McKeever rips down 17 rebounds to go with 10 points and six assists.
The Saint Mary's Gaels continued their dream start to West Coast Conference play, defeating the San Francisco Dons 82–68 at the Sobrato Center on Tuesday night. The Gaels had five scorers in double figures. Saint Mary’s now moves to 6–0 in conference play—one of two undefeated teams in WCC games.
Paulius Murauskas continues to look like an unstoppable force offensively, scoring 20+ in his fourth straight, dropping 21 to lead the Gaels against USF. Joshua Dent added 19, including a perfect 10–10 clip from the stripe, to go along with seven assists, four steals, and no turnovers. Mikey Lewis chipped in 14, burying a pair of threes, while Dillan Shaw also buried two triples and scored 10. Arguably the biggest contributor, however, was Andrew McKeever, who scored ten, ripped down a career-high tying 17 boards, and had a new career-high six assists.
Closing the Door
Bay Area rivals USF (12–8, 4–3 WCC) took an early 14–13 lead at the 13:27 mark of the first half, but the Gaels (17–2, 6–0 WCC) responded with a 17–0 run, helping them outscore the Dons 29–14 by the time the halftime horn sounded. At the break, the Gaels led 42–28.
The Dons cut the deficit to 11 just one minute into the second half, but a 7–0 run—punctuated with a Mikey Lewis three—gave the Gaels their largest lead, at 18 points. San Francisco refused to bow out of the fight, and chipped away at the deficit, cutting all the way down to three with 4:13 left. Again, the Gaels were able to respond, finishing out the game on a 14–3 run to close the door on the Dons.
Leading the WCC in Scoring
Tuesday’s outing ensured that Paulius Murauskas continues to lead the WCC in scoring; he’s now averaging 19.6 points per game. As for five Gaels scoring in double digits in one game—that’s the second time this season Saint Mary’s has accomplished this. They did it as well against UC Merced in November.
Andrew McKeever put together arguably the best game of his career. Those 10 points, a career-high tying 17 boards, a new career best six assists, and two blocks also factor into another stat: McKeever is now tied for second in the conference with five double-doubles.
When it comes to accuracy, this was the fifth time this season that the Gaels have shot 50% or better from the field as well as from three. It was the second time that the Gaels shot better from three than from two.
Up Next: Gaels vs. Broncos
The Gaels next take on another Bay Area rival, heading to Santa Clara on Saturday, January 17. Tip-off at the Leavey Center is set for 4 p.m. Watch the game on ESPN+.
