Big game for a big man: Andrew McKeever teamed up as one of the two centers on the court at the same time for most of the game. He’s also twice been named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week. / Photo by Joe Oliver for SMC Athletics
Gaels Erase a 13 Point Deficit But Fall in Overtime to Boise State
Augustus Marciulionis leads Saint Mary’s with 17 points. Luke Barrett does not leave the floor—and is now No. 1 in the nation for minutes played per game.
For the final time in the non-conference slate, the Gaels (9–2) played away from home on Saturday night, heading to a neutral site in Idaho Falls to face Boise State (7–3) for the second consecutive season. Like last year, the Gaels started slowly in the Gem State, falling behind by 13 in the first half before rallying back to go ahead in the second. The Gaels led with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation and again in overtime—but each time the Broncos were able to counter, eventually earning a narrow 67–65 victory in overtime.
Augustas Marciulionis led all Gaels with 17 points to go along with six assists. Luke Barrett, who once again did not leave the floor for Saint Mary's, went for 13 points and seven boards, while Andrew McKeever continued his recent stretch of hot play with nine points and eight boards. The Gaels had one of their best free throw shooting nights of the year, going 13–16 from the stripe, and had their lowest turnover mark of the season, with seven, resulting in just two Boise State points.
Coming Back from that Deficit
The Broncos got out of the gates hot, shooting well over 50% for a majority of the first half, and leading by double-digits from the 6:21 mark to the 2:04 mark, when Luke Barrett hit just the third Saint Mary's three of the half. That three sparked a 6–0 Saint Mary's run that allowed them to cut the deficit to just six at the halftime break, 32–26.
Augustas Marciulionis scored 11 of the Gaels’ 26 first half points and assisted on two more of their nine buckets. Luke Barrett added six and a team-high four rebounds. The Gaels were outrebounded 18–11 and outscored 18–6 in the paint in the first half, but their ability to turn seven first half Broncos turnovers into 10 points—and hold Boise scoreless on their five turnovers—kept them in the game.
The 6–0 run that the Gaels took into the halftime break ballooned out to a 17–6 run midway through the second half, with Saint Mary's employing a “two tower system,” with centers Mitchell Saxen and Andrew McKeever on the floor simultaneously. The Gaels took their first lead at 39–37 on a Saxen bucket and built out their largest lead just 90 second later at 43–38 on a Jordan Ross jumper.
Neither team took a lead larger than one possession for the remainder of the second half. With 21 seconds left and the Gaels down by one, Mikey Lewis buried a stepback three to bush the Gaels up 59–57, but the Broncos nailed two free throws on the ensuing possession to force overtime. Andrew McKeever was massive for the Gaels in the second half, with seven points and five boards, while Augustas Marciulionis chipped in six and four more assists. The Gaels flipped the script on paint scoring in the second half, outsourcing the Broncos 16–8.
Each team converted only a single field goal attempt in the overtime period. The Gaels twice led by two in the bonus frame, with Luke Barrett and Jordan Ross each going two for two at the stripe in the first two possessions of the half. But the Broncos weathered the storm, taking the lead with 2:14 left and never relinquishing it: They knocked down six of eight free throws to the Gaels’ four out of five to earn the victory. Beyond Barrett and Ross, the lone Gael to hit a field goal and score in the overtime period was Andrew McKeever.
Old School Basketball
With three minutes remaining in the first half, and the Gaels down double-digits, Coach Randy Bennett went to his bag of tricks and pulled out something that Gaels fans had not seen all season, employing a two center lineup for the remainder of the game. The Gaels began with Harry Wessels and Mitchell Saxen on the court together, before spending a majority of the game with Saxen and Andrew McKeever paired together in the front court. From the point of that substitution, the Gaels outscored the Broncos 45–35, including an 18–10 margin in the paint, with Saint Mary's abandoning the two center look only with a minute and change remaining in overtime when Saxen fouled out.
Breaking a Few Bad Trends
Coming into Saturday’s game, Saint Mary's had tallied double-digit turnovers in six straight match-ups, and had recorded at least nine turnovers in every game this season. Despite this game needing an extra five-minute overtime period to be decided, the Gaels put up a season low in turnovers, with seven, including just two in the second half and none in overtime.
When the Gaels did turn the ball over, their transition defense was also as stellar as it has been all season, allowing just two Boise State points off of those turnovers, and no fast break points. The Gaels also had their best free throw shooting night of the season, going 13–16 to shoot over 80% for the first time this season.
No Rest, No Problem
Over the last four games, including two that have gone into overtime, Luke Barrett has been off the court for just 1:23 of a possible 170 total minutes, including playing the full 85 over the last two contests. In these four games, Barrett has averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds, while playing his prototypical physical brand of basketball on the wing. Barrett entered Saturday's contest ranked third in the country in minutes played per game. After the OT matchup with the Broncos, he now leads the nation, averaging 38:04 minutes played per game.
UP NEXT: The Gaels take host Merrimack on Thursday, December 19. Tip off at UCU Pavilion is at 7 p.m.
