Scorers and playmakers: Gaels Jordan Ross, pictured, and Augustus Marciolonis together accounted for 34 points and 10 assists. / Photo courtesy University of Portland Athletics
A 53-Point Second Half Propels Gaels to 81–58 Victory in Portland
What starts as a defensive slugfest turns into a Saint Mary’s blowout. Augustus Marciulionis leads Saint Mary’s with 20 points and six assists. Jordan Ross racks up 14 points and four assists. And Mikey Lewis scores 12 points and three steals.
Saturday night belonged to Saint Mary’s: The Gaels (13–3, 3–0 West Coast Conference) ran their winning streak inside the Chiles Center to 11 straight, besting the Portland Pilots (5–12, 0–4 WCC) 81–58. This contest had all the makings of a defensive slugfest, with neither team reaching the 30 point mark in the first half. But then the Gaels exploded for 53 second half points, cruising to the 23 point win—which means Saint Mary’s is now 10 games over 0.500 for the first time this season.
Augustus Marciulionis led all scorers with 20 points for the Gaels while also serving as their best playmaker, adding six assists to just one turnover. Jordan Ross chipped in 14 points on 5–9 shooting, with four assists to one turnover. Mikey Lewis dropped 12 points and recorded a team-high three steals. Mitchell Saxen finished with 10 rebounds and was just one point shy of a double-double. Saint Mary’s only turned over the ball seven times—the second lowest this season. And every active Gael was able to touch the floor in Portland.
Open the Floodgates
The Pilots opened the game on a 7–2 run over the first two minutes and change, but the Gaels responded by holding Portland to 12 points over the final 17:45 with suffocating defense. At the 5:18 mark of the first half, Portland tied things up at 15 apiece, but the Gaels closed the half on a 13–4 run to take a nine point lead into the break. Jordan Ross didn’t miss from the field, from three, or from the stripe in the first half, going for 10 points. Augustas Marciulionis added six first half points and three first assists. Luke Barrett didn't leave the floor in the first, and while he was limited to just two points, he ripped down a team-high six rebounds. The Gaels turned the ball over just four times to Portland's nine in the half, and Saint Mary’s outscored the Pilots 6–0 off those turnovers.
Augustus Marciulionis scored the first 10 points of the second half for the Gaels, propelling them to their first double-digit lead over the Pilots. This opened the floodgates for the Gaels, who shot 59% from the field in the second half, compared to 29% in the first. Eventually Saint Mary’s extended their lead out to 30 with five minutes to go, before settling in for the 23-point victory.
Marciulionis scored 14 total points in the second half. Joining him in double figures was Mikey Lewis, who chipped in 12 second half points after being shutout in the first stanza. Mitchell Saxen had six points and six rebounds in limited time due to foul trouble in the second half. When it came to assists, Marciulionis was joined by Jordan Ross and Paulius Murauskas, all recording three apiece. While a meager four turnovers for the Gaels was impressive in the first half, Saint Mary's cut that number down to just three in the second half, outscoring Portland 15–2 off turnovers in the second stanza.
Brilliance in the Backcourt
The Portland Pilots starting front court trio have an average height of 6’ 11.3” and did an excellent job matching up with the likes of Saint Mary’s Luke Barrett, Paulius Murauskas, and Mitchell Saxen defensively. That said, the Gaels were able to pull away on the strength of their starting front court, Augustas Marciulionis and Jordan Ross, as well as their sixth man, Mikey Lewis. All three players stood out in different phases of the game.
Things got started with Ross, who was huge in the first half. Not only did the sophomore hit the first Saint Mary’s three of the game to cut into the Gaels’ largest deficit of the night, but he then assisted on the Marciulionis three that broke the final tie of the game, pushing SMC ahead 18–15 with 5:18 left in the first half. Ross then scored seven of the Gaels’ final 10 points of the first half to give them a nine point lead heading into the break.
The first three minutes of the second half belonged to Marciulionis, who scored 10 points in that span, helping the Gaels extend their lead to double digits. Lewis, who was shut out for the first 28 minutes of this one, had his moment come at the midway point of the second half, scoring eight straight points in a 70-second span, eventually scoring 12 points, all in the second half. Marciulionis and Ross were the Gaels’ top two scorers and the team’s best playmakers, combining for 10 assists and just two turnovers, while Marciulionis and Lewis combined for five of the Gaels’ 10 steals defensively.
“Ten assists and just two turnovers from your point guards is huge,” said Gaels Associate Head Coach Mickey McConnell. “It's what you need to win, especially on the road. You can’t ask for more than that!”
For icing on the cake, the Gaels had a season best +12 turnover margin in Saturday night’s showdown, forcing 19 turnovers while committing just seven. This led to Saint Mary's outscoring Portland 21–2 off of turnovers. Over the first three games of WCC play, the Gaels have only turned the ball over 22 times, their lowest over a three game stretch this season.
Doing Everything Right
While his stats don't jump off the page, the Gaels’ Ashton Hardaway had his fingerprints all over the victory in Portland. The sophomore transfer from Memphis had four points (2–2 from the field), two rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. More important, with Hardaway on the floor for a little under 16 minutes, the Gaels were an incredible +22 on the scoreboard.
Hardaway has become an excellent asset for the Gaels, especially against zone defenses, moving the ball with precision and accuracy from the high post position.
UP NEXT: The Gaels return home to host LMU on Tuesday night. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. inside UCU Pavilion.
