ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The Saint Mary's Gaels (22–4, 12–1 West Coast Conference) were served up about they could handle on Tuesday evening Moraga when they hosted Santa Clara (17–10, 9–5 WCC), but for the second the second time this season—and eighth time in a row—the Gaels finished the night victorious over the Broncos, this time 73–64. Santa Clara only led for just over a minute but never truly allowed the Gaels to pull away. With the game tied up at 58 with 5:38 to go, Saint Mary's went on a 15–4 run to trounce any hopes of a Bronco upset. Saint Mary's extends their lead in the WCC by two full games, and the Gaels remain unbeaten at home in conference play.

For the third straight contest, Augustas Marciulionis led all Gael scorers, with 24 points. He also added a team-high six assists and four steals. Luke Barrett joined Marciulionis in double figures with 13 points and six rebounds, while Harry Wessels chipped in 11 points and four blocks. Mitchell Saxen played his highest minute total in a conference game this year, finishing with eight points and a team-high eight boards. 

This was the Gaels’ eighth time shooting 50% or better from the field this year, and their third time doing so in consecutive games. Saint Mary's also reached the 70 point mark for the first time since January. When they score 70 points, the Gaels are a perfect 19–0 this season.

Image

Keeping It Close

Saint Mary's led for nearly 15 minutes of the opening half, but Santa Clara was able to keep things tight throughout the frame. A 9–0 Gael run gave them their largest lead at 20–12, but the Broncos responded with a 16–9 stretch of their own to cut the deficit to just one with 2:23 remaining in the half. Augustas Marciulionis then put the Gaels on his back and carried them to the halftime buzzer, scoring the final eight points of the half to deliver a 37–30 lead into the intermission. 

Defending WCC Player of the Year Marciulionis led the Gaels with 13 points, two assists, and two steals in the opening stanza. Defending WCC Defensive Player of the Year Mitchell Saxen scored eight and ripped down a team-high four rebounds, three offensive. Harry Wessels continued his recent defensive dominance with two massive first half swats. 

After four quick Bronco points cut the deficit to three in the first minutes of the second half, the Gaels surged again: A 9–2 gave them a double digit lead at 46–36 with 17 minutes remaining. Santa Clara countered with a 16–7 stretch near the halfway mark of the second half. The Gaels’ lead bounced between one and two possessions over the next four minutes, until back to back SCU layups knotted things up at 58 apiece. On the ensuing possession, Luke Barrett drained a three that curtailed the Broncos’ momentum and sparked a 15–4 run that iced the game in favor of the Gaels. 

Augustus Marciulionis continued to be the offensive hero for the Gaels with 11 second half points, four assists, a steal, and zero turnovers. Luke Barrett added nine points and a steal in the second half, while Mitchell Saxen ripped down four more rebounds. Neither Barrett nor Saxen left the floor in the second half. Harry Wessels continued to protect the rim with two more rejections in the second frame. 

Goose Stays Hot

For the third straight game, Augustas Marciulionis led all Saint Mary's scorers, dropping 24 on 8–11 shooting (2–3 from three), while adding six assists and three steals. This comes after a week in which Mariulionis went for 20 points, seven assists, and four steals at San Francisco; and 18 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals at Oregon State. Over this three game heater, he has averaged 20.7 points per game, shooting 45.1% from the field, while averaging 7.7 assists per game, 3.7 steals per contest and only 1.7 turnovers per game. 

Tuesday night also marked a few milestones for Marciulionis: He scored his 1,100th point as a Gael, as well as his 450th career assist, while moving to sixth all-time in program history with his 135th steal. The Vilnius, Lithuania native is making a strong case to be the first back-to-back WCC Player of the Year for Saint Mary's since Steve Gray did it in 1961–62 and 1962–63. 

Image

Full Forty Luke

For the eighth time this season, Luke Barrett spent at least 40 minutes on the court, not exiting throughout the entirety of the contest. The fifth-year redshirt senior also hit some of the game’s biggest shots. Following a Broncos bucket that tied things up at 58, Barrett hit a three-pointer, followed by a layup to push the Gaels back up by two possessions. This sparked the 15–4 run that all but secured the victory for SMC. After a stretch of three straight games in which Barrett was held below double digit scoring, he seems to be back on track offensively, with his 13th game scoring double figures this season. 

Not in My House!

Harry Wessels continues to be the ultimate rim protector for the Gaels. After blocking a potential game-tying shot from Gonzaga two weeks ago, Wessels has racked up a half dozen more blocks over the last two contests, including a career-high four on Tuesday. On top of his recent defensive production, Wessels has also averaged 11.5 points per game over the last two contests as well. 

Tuesday night’s game moves the Gaels into the No. 19 spot in the country in NCAA NET rankings. Along with winning percentage, the NET rankings take into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. For the NCAA, it's both a results-driven and predictive metric. 

Image

UP NEXT: The Gaels host Washington State on Saturday, February 15. Tip off is at 7 p.m. and the game will honor the Lithuanian presence within the Saint Mary's Men's Basketball program. Come out to UCU Pavilion to support the Gaels or catch the game live on ESPNU. 

Story updated with additional photography February 13, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific