MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary’s Gaels put on a commanding performance Wednesday night at the UCU Pavilion, overwhelming the San Diego Toreros from the opening tip and never letting up in a decisive West Coast Conference victory.
Saint Mary’s came out firing, building a quick double-digit lead and setting the tone early with a 10–0 first-half run that effectively put the game out of reach. Behind sharp perimeter shooting and strong interior play, the Gaels carried a 44–25 advantage into halftime.
Dillan Shaw and Liam Campbell fueled the early surge with efficient shooting, while Andrew McKeever controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. Starting guard Mikey Lewis provided an early spark, knocking down a quick three-pointer to open the scoring before heading to the bench with two early fouls. Lewis returned strong in the second half, finishing with 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc and a perfect night at the free-throw line.
Shaw led the Gaels with a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for head coach Randy Bennett. McKeever matched him on the glass, recording 12 points and 12 rebounds in another dominant inside performance. Saint Mary’s showcased its depth as Paulius Murauskas (10 points), Campbell (11 points), and Mantas Juzenas (10 points) all reached double figures.
One of the decisive factors in the contest came at the free-throw line. The Gaels converted 16 of their 20 attempts, while San Diego struggled, hitting just 5 of 13 from the stripe.
San Diego was led by starting guard Toneari Lane, who finished with 16 points and shot an impressive 4-of-5 from three-point range. Forward Tim Moore added 11 points in the loss, but the Toreros were unable to keep pace with Saint Mary’s balanced attack.
With the win, Saint Mary’s improved to 20–4 overall and 9–2 in West Coast Conference play, remaining perfect at home this season at 13–0. The Gaels currently sit in third place in the WCC standings, trailing Gonzaga Bulldogs (11–1) and Santa Clara Broncos (10–1).
With seven conference games remaining, the race for the WCC title is tightening. Saint Mary’s will close the regular season at home with two marquee matchups—against Santa Clara on February 25 and Gonzaga on February 28—games that could determine both the conference champion and tournament seeding.
The WCC Tournament will be held March 5–10 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Regular-season standings determine tournament seeding, and the champion earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA March Madness field of 64.
As the postseason approaches, Saint Mary’s is peaking at the right time—and Moraga continues to be one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
