Class of rivals: Mitchell Saxen leads the attack for the Gaels and earns a spot on the All-WCC Tournament Team. / Photo by John Locher/AP Photo
Defense Shines, Offense Struggles as Gaels fall to Gonzaga in West Coast Conference Tournament Title Game
Mitchell Saxen leads all scoring with 20 points, but it’s not enough to beat the Zags. Saxen and Marciulionis earn recognition on the WCC All-Tournament Team. And eyes turn toward the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Mary’s (28–5) played their signature tenacious defense and was as ferocious as ever on the glass on Tuesday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, but the Gaels struggled to score, dropping the WCC Tournament Title Match to Gonzaga (25–8) by 58–51. The Gaels fell into an early hole in the game, and while they battled back fiercely, they never could quite crest the hill to take the lead against the Bulldogs—who led for 39:09 of the 40-minute contest and never trailed.
Augustas Marciulionis, Luke Barrett, and Mitchell Saxen all put up monumental efforts in the tightly contested game. The Gaels finished +15 on the glass but -14 in the turnover battle, resulting in a 20–3 scoring discrepancy in points off of turnovers, largely telling the story of the night.
Mitchell Saxen led all scorers in the game with a season-high 20 points. It was the sixth time Saxen had met or eclipsed the 20-point mark for his Gael career. He also added seven rebounds and two blocks to his stat line as the most positive force for the Gaels. Augustus Marciulionis joined Saxen in double digits with 12, while also ripping down five boards and eight assists. It was the first time this season and second time in his career that Marciulionis has scored double figures and tallied at least five rebounds and five assists in back-to-back contests. Luke Barrett also did a bit of everything for the Gaels, with nine points, nine boards, and three assists, serving as the Gaels’ third-leading scorer, leading rebounder, and second-leading assist man. While this trio may be done in conference action, they will still look to continue their strong play with the Gaels in March Madness.
Too Steep a Climb
Saint Mary's found themselves down by 20–7 early as Gonzaga, who trailed by double digits early in both regular season contests, got their turn to throw the opening haymaker. The Gaels battled back fervently and turned a 10-point deficit of 31–21 with three minutes to play to just a two-point deficit at the break, thanks to a 10–2 run. Mitchell Saxen was the Gaels’ most productive scorer in the first half, scoring 14 points on 5–9 shooting while drawing four fouls, resulting in a 4–6 free throw shooting clip. Saxen was also solid defending down low, with two blocked shots. Augustas Marciulionis chipped in six first-half points, with a team-high four assists and no turnovers. Luke Barrett was limited to two points but ripped down eight rebounds, helping the Gaels to a +9 rebound margin at the half.
The Gaels knotted things up at 33 apiece on the opening possession of the second half, when Marciulionis fed Saxen for a slam. But Gonzaga responded with a 5–0 run, and while Saint Mary’s would three times cut the deficit to a single possession—including twice down to one point—the Gaels couldn’t hit the big shot to give them a lead, as Gonzaga’s defense was just as stellar as the Gaels’. In the second half, Gonzaga added 25 points while limiting the Gaels to 20. But it’s a testament to Saint Mary’s defense that the Zags’ half total tied their fewest points in a half for the season.
For the Gaels, Luke Barrett led the second half scoring with seven. Mitchell Saxen and Augustas Marciulionis each added six, with Marciulionis going for four more assists. The rebounding margin continued to grow for the Gaels, as they were +6 on the Zags, but lost just their second game of the year when outrebounding an opponent.
Tuesday Night’s Positive: Defense
Four times this season Gonzaga was held to under 70 points; three of those four times were at the hands of the Gaels. Twice this season, Gonzaga was held to under 60 points; including Tuesday night, both of those belong to the Gaels. While the Zags are widely considered one of the best offensive teams in all of college basketball, the Gaels defense has given them fits—and Tuesday night was no exception.
In the WCC Tournament championship bout, the Zags shot 41.3% from the field, their second lowest of the campaign; 6.7% from three, their lowest of the season; and had 13 assists, their second-lowest tally of the year, with their lowest of 12 coming against the Gaels in Spokane a few weeks ago. Unfortunately for the Gaels, however, the Zags matched their defensive intensity, and Gonzaga was able to do just enough offensively to earn the conference tournament title.
Postseason Recognitions
Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen were both named to the WCC All-Tournament Team. Marciulionis averaged 13.5 points per game, six rebounds per game, and 6.5 assists per contest while holding an assist-to-turnover of 6.5. Saxen averaged 14.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 60% from the field. This was Mitchell Saxen’s first all-tournament nod, and the second for Marciulionis, who joins Mickey McConnell, Matthew Dellavedova, Jock Landale, Jordan Ford, and Alex Ducas as multi-time WCC All-Tournament selections.
On Wednesday, Mitchell Saxen—WCC Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row—received another nod for his contributions over the course of the season: He was named a . The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division I College Basketball, and is named for the late great Head Coach Lefty Driesell, the eighth winningest coach in Division I ball.
Also on the heels of Tuesday night’s game, Gaels sophomore forward and 2025 WCC Newcomer of the Year Paulius Murauskas was named a . The Riley Wallace Award is presented annually to the most impactful transfer in Division I College Basketball, and is named for former Hawai'i Head Coach Riley Wallace, who welcomed many transfers to his Warrior squad while becoming the program's all-time wins leader. A transfer from the University of Arizona, Murauskas started every game for the Gaels at the four.
The Kaunas, Lithuania, native led the WCC in rebounding and double-doubles. His 13 double-doubles rank 18th in the country—and are the most in Gaels history since Jock Landale's legendary senior campaign in which he tallied 19. He became the first Gael in three seasons to score 30 in a single contest, doing so against Washington State on Saint Mary's inaugural Lithuania Night.
March Madness, Here We Come
The Gaels look forward to Selection Sunday on March 16 to learn where they’re headed next for the big dance. For the NCAA Tournament, Saint Mary’s will learn how they’re seeded, when and where their next contest will take place, and who their next opponent will be.
Saint Mary’s is hosting a Selection Sunday Watch Party at UCU Pavilion. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the event begins at 3 p.m. Admission is free and open to everyone. Grab a free light-up wristband courtesy of University Credit Union and support the Gaels!
Story updated March 12 at 4:30 p.m. to include additional photography and awards updates.
