Luke Barrett led the way for the Gaels with 16 points. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Gaels Outmuscle Waves in 30-Point Victory
Luke Barrett leads Saint Mary’s with 16 points in the 71–41 win over Pepperdine. Paulius Murauskas racks up a double-double, Mikey Lewis scores 14, Mitchell Saxen rips down 11 rebounds, and Jordan Ross delivers pristine point guard play.
For the third time this season and first time in West Coast Conference play, Saint Mary’s (12–3, 2–0 WCC) held an opponent under 50 points, limiting the Pepperdine Waves (6–10, 0–3 WCC) to just 41 points in a 71–41 victory Thursday night at the UCU Pavilion. Saint Mary’s overbearing physicality was on display from the get go, with the Gaels finishing +20 on the glass, +22 in paint scoring, and +13 in second chance scoring.
Luke Barrett led a group of three double-digit scorers for the Gaels with 16 points on 6–11 shooting. Barrett also ripped down eight rebounds and recorded a team-high two steals in the contest. Mikey Lewis dropped 14 points and was the only Gael to hit multiple threes in the game. Paulius Murauskas rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points to go along with 12 boards for his eighth double-double in 15 career games as a Gael. Mitchell Saxen ripped down 11 rebounds, including a team best eight offensive boards, but wound up just two points short of his 22nd career double-double.
Double Digit Distance
Pepperdine hit an early three less than minutes into the game to take their lone lead at 3–2, but from that moment on, it was all Gaels. Saint Mary's nearly doubled up on the Waves for the remainder of the first half, outscoring them 33–17 over the final 17:30 of the opening frame to take a 35–20 lead into the break.
Luke Barrett did not leave the floor in half one, and was the lone double-digit scorer for the Gaels, with 10 points to go along with a couple of steals. Mitchell Saxen and Paulius Murauskas were both dominant on the boards, with nine and eight rebounds respectively, helping the Gaels to a +9 advantage on the glass at the half. Jordan Ross also contributed to the rebounding front, with five, to go along with four points and a team-high five assists. Saint Mary's scored more points in the paint (22) than Pepperdine scored in total (20) in the first half, as the Gaels' defense shined, holding the Waves to 28% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from three.
The Gaels extended their lead out to 20 in the first 5:35 of the second half. From that point, Pepperdine would never get back within 16 points of the Gaels, as the lead ballooned to as large as 34 points.
Mikey Lewis shined off the bench in the second half, scoring 10 points to go along with three dimes. Luke Barrett added six points and seven second half rebounds after being limited to just one in the first stanza. Jordan Ross assisted on three more buckets as well without turning the ball over. The Gaels ripped down nine more offensive boards—with Barrett responsible for four—resulting in 11 second chance points in the second half, to Pepperdine's 2.
When the buzzer sounded, the Gaels had held Pepperdine to a season-low 41 points on 12.5% shooting from three (including no made threes in the second half) in a dominant defensive performance. For the record, the Gaels were the last team to hold the Waves under 50 in a game, back in the 2022–23 season, and did it again this evening in a tremendous defensive showing.
At Home in the Paint
Saint Mary's scored 40 points in the paint to Pepperdine’s 41 points total. The Gaels finished shooting 20–36 inside the key, resulting in 40 of their 71 points. Leading the way on the interior scoring was Luke Barrett, who generated 10 of his 16 points in the paint. All eight of Mitchell Saxen’s points were scored in the key, as were all six by Harry Wessels, who was a perfect 3–3 from the field. This marks the sixth time this season that the Gaels have scored 40 or more points in the paint in a single game.
Wessels’ performance also earned him a place in the annals of Saint Mary’s basketball: He has now made 100 buckets and is shooting 62.1% when it comes to field goals. That ranks him second all-time behind fellow Aussie and current NBA player Jock Landale, who shot 62.5% during his SMC career.
Pristine Point Guard Play
While his scoring was limited to just four points, Jordan Ross delivered huge point guard minutes for the Gaels. The sophomore out of Pleasant Grove, Utah, matched his career-high with eight dimes without recording a single turnover. Ross, who ranks second on the team with 48 assists, now leads the Gaels with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.67 for the year.
UP NEXT: The Gaels head north to Portland for their first WCC road contest on Saturday, January 4. Tip off will be at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center.
