MBB | Gaels Use 30-0 Run to Best Broncos in Santa Clara, 67-54

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The nation’s leading road win streak has moved to 15, as the Saint Mary’s Gaels (19-3, 9-0 WCC) bested the Santa Clara Broncos (14-9, 6-4 WCC) 67-54 in Santa Clara this evening. The Gaels trailed by two with 3:14 in the first half before going on a 30-0 run spanning nearly 13 minutes to pull away, and while the Broncos found their stride late, it was too little, too late, as Saint Mary’s ultimately earned the double-digit victory. Now at 9-0 in the conference, the Gaels continue to hold a two game stranglehold on first place in the WCC at the halfway mark of conference play.

Saint Mary’s defense shined in the first half, limiting the Broncos to just 10 points over the first 13 minutes of play, establishing a double digit 20-10 lead. Santa Clara, however, came storming back, stringing together solid interior scoring possessions to go on a 14-2 run to take a two point lead. The Gaels were able to curtail that Bronco momentum heading into the break, scoring the final two buckets of the half to take a two point lead into the break. Ashton Hardaway buried a couple of threes in the first half to lead the way, while Paulius Murauskas and Harry Wessels combined for nine points and 10 boards in the opening stanza. 

 

Paulius Murauskas backs ’em down and the Gaels are on the board #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/A2flGhMMTG

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

 

More offense from Paulius Murauskas as he drains a corner three #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/7wJWIvAAQ0

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

 

Ashton Hardaway checks in and makes an immediate impact #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/lOGpDS6Sxc

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

The Gaels took their 4-0 run that ended the first half, and added 26 more to it to go ahead 52-24, holding them scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the second half to really put the game out of reach. Saint Mary’s took their foot off the gas pedal and Santa Clara started hitting contested three pointers late to make the score a bit more respectable, as things ended 67-54. Mitchell Saxen was unstoppable in the paint second frame, with nine points, while Luke Barrett buried a pair of threes to get to eight in the final 20. 

 

Luke Barrett came back from halftime ready to hoop #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/RADgbzkvZy

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

 

MITCHELL SAXEN AND-1 #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/oY8E5X623a

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

 

Luke Barrett from downtown #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/ex3CceWsj5

— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 30, 2025

Mitchell Saxen finished as the Gaels high man with 12 points. While the scoring outing wasn’t the largest of Saxen’s career, it was his defense that led the Gaels to victory, clogging up the paint and not giving the Broncos any clean inside in the second half. Luke Barrett was the only other Gael in double figures, scoring 10, but, like Saxen, it was Barrett’s defense in the second half that sparked the SMC 30-0 run. Five other Gaels scored at least eight points, with Paulius Murauskas adding 14 rebounds to his nine, and Augustas Marciulionis adding five assists to his nine. The Gaels have now beaten eight of nine WCC foes this year by double digits. 

30-0 RUN

Less than a week ago, the Gaels were able to outscore Washington State 23-7 over a stretch just shy of eight minutes to erase a double-digit deficit and eventually down the Cougars by five. While that run was stellar, it pales in comparison to what the Gaels were able to do tonight against Santa Clara. With 3:14 left in the first half, the Broncos took a 24-22 lead, just their second of the night. The Gaels responded by scoring the final four points of the first half…and the first 26 of the second half for a 30-0 run, holding Santa Clara scoreless for nearly 13 minutes. This run pushed the Gaels up by 28 with under 10 minutes to go, a nearly insurmountable lead for any team, but even more so with the Gaels impressive defense. Jordan Ross led that offensive surge with nine points, while Luke Barrett and Mitchell Saxen each scored seven in that stretch. A year ago, the Gaels had a similar run against the Broncos at the Leavey Center, opening the game on a 30-6 run over the opening 12 minutes of the game, as Saint Mary’s continues to demonstrate their road dominance over the past two seasons. 

SHARING THE WEALTH

The Gaels did not have one star scorer tonight, but rather had seven different players score between eight and 12 points. Mitchell Saxen led the way with 12, connecting on 50% of his shots from the field and going 4-6 from the stripe. Luke Barrett joined him in double figures with 10, eight coming in the second half. The quartet of Jordan Ross, Augustas Marciulionis, Ashton Hardaway and Paulius Murauskas each scored nine, with each knocking down at least one three, while Harry Wessels had an efficient eight points in just 16 minutes of play. This display of team basketball was reminiscent of the Gaels scoring distribution all season long, as they boast six scorers who average between 8.7 and 13.6 points per game, with any one of them having the ability to be the leading scorer on any given night. 

POSTGAME CHATS

“The run for us tonight was great, and we needed it. We talked in the locker room about needing a good start in the second half, and we did that. We got the ball moving a bit more, we took care of it better and we started getting better looks, and on the defensive end we tightened things up. We forced Santa Clara into taking tough shots and we crashed the glass every time, but there was also a stretch where it felt like we ripped down every offensive rebound as well and that was huge. I’m really proud of our guys and how they played. It was overall a great win!” – Associate Head Coach Mickey McConnell

“It’s special to have a team where everybody is scoring and playing well within our system. We all care about winning and not about our own individual stats, so it’s all about getting whoever has the hot hand the ball, and working on getting the best shot possible on every possession.” – Ashton Hardaway

UP NEXT

The Big One is up next for the Gaels, as rivals Gonzaga role into town on Saturday. Tip off will be at 8 PM, join us inside UCU Pavilion or tune into ESPN to catch the action.

DON’T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN’S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE. 

#GaelsRise