Moraga, CA – The Saint Mary's men's basketball team got the 2008-09 season started on the right foot with an 86-55 win over the Seattle Pacific Falcons in front of a sell-out crowd at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels used timely shooting and pressure defense to cruise to the win over the Division II opponent.
The Gaels used the entire bench, as 12 players took the court in the season opener, and 11 of the 12 had at least two points. SMC had three players in double figures with Olympian Patrick Mills and Omar Samhan leading the way with 15 points each. Carlin Hughes added 11 points and Diamon Simpson chipped in with nine.
Mills and Hughes were pressing the Falcons' defense all night, as the two combined for 15 of the 19 assists by the Gaels. Mills finished with eight assists and four steals in 25 minutes, while Hughes has seven assists and a pair of steals in 23 minutes.
Samhan was just two rebounds shy of a double-double, as he had eight rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots. Simpson had a game-high nine rebounds and Ian O'Leary finished the game with six points and eight rebounds, with six boards coming on the offensive glass. O'Leary also added two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot.
Saint Mary's got out to a quick start, taking a 12-3 lead over the first three and a half minutes. The Falcons clawed back into the game, closing the deficit to 3-points (18-15) with about eight and a half minutes left in the half. From there the Gaels exploded for an 18-0 run that was sparked by a Patrick Mills 15-foot jumper at the 8-minute mark.
With SMC leading 22-15, the freshman from Queensland, Australia, Cliint Steindl, hit back-to-back threes for his first points as a Gael. Steindl finished the game with eight points in 17 minutes of action. Saint Mary's finished the first half with a 41-19 advantage.
In the second half, Saint Mary's continued to extend its lead. SMC held a 68-38 advantage when Ben Allen, who finished with four points and four rebounds in his Saint Mary's debut, hit a pair of free throws at the 10:27 mark. SMC's lead would reach 40-points at 83-43 when Lucas Walker scored a bucket with 3:48 remaining.
Saint Mary's will return to action on Monday night when the Gaels host the Fresno State Bulldogs in a late night affair. The game between the Gaels and Bulldogs will tip-off at 11 p.m. from McKeon Pavilion and will be televised on ESPN. The game can be seen on ESPN in Australia on Wednesday at 2am and 10pm on tape delay.
Saint Mary's vs. Seattle Pacific Game Notes
- The Gaels continue their streak of at least one three per game to 475 games.
- Clint Steindl's first two points as a freshman came from a break away two handed dunk off a behind the back assist from Hughes.
- Randy Bennett is now 76-30 in McKeon Pavilion, and the Gaels improve to 37-6 against non-conference in the last five year, and 16-2 in the 18 home games against non-conference opponents.
- Saint Mary's has played Seattle Pacific eight times since 1968, SMC leads the series 5-3.
- Patrick Mills and Omar Samhan finished with a team high of 15 points each.
- Samhan finished with a game high of 5 blocks. The five blocks marked just the second time in his career the he has had five or more in a game.
- Carlin Hughes had a season high of seven assists, which is one shy of his career high.
- Patrick Mills ties his career high with eight assists.
No comments:
Post a Comment