No. 18 Saint Mary's beats Pepperdine 103-59 for its 13th straight win

Fri, Feb 16, 2024
NCAAB News (AP)

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) - Augustus Marciulionis scored a career-high 28 points and Alex Ducas beat the halftime buzzer with a halfcourt shot to lead No. 18 Saint Mary's to its 13th straight win, 103-59 over Pepperdine on Thursday night.

The Gaels (21-6, 12-0 West Coast Conference) celebrated their return to the AP Top 25 for the first time since the opening week of the season with another dominant victory to match No. 1 UConn for the longest active winning streak in the country.

Nine of the wins during this streak for Saint Mary's have come by double digits as the Gaels have opened a 2 1/2-game lead in the conference over San Francisco and Gonzaga.

Ducas added 18 points and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 for Saint Mary's.

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Jevon Porter had 13 points to lead Pepperdine (10-17, 3-9). The Waves have lost seven of eight.

The Gaels shot poorly early, making just 10 of their first 27 shots from the field. But they pulled away late in the first half by making five straight shots that included four 3-pointers during a 14-2 run that opened a 14-point lead.

Ducas then made his buzzer-beater to make it 43-27 at the break and Saint Mary's was never threatened in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Pepperdine: The Waves struggled to get good looks early against Saint Mary's stout halfcourt defense. They didn't score for the first 4:14 and made only eight baskets in the first half.

Saint Mary's: The Gaels have shaken off a rough start to the season that included a 1-5 stretch that dropped them to 3-5 on Dec. 1. They have won 17 of 18 since then and are in good position to make the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons for the first time in school history.

INJURY UPDATE

The Gaels were without forward Joshua Jefferson, who had started all 26 games this season, averaging 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. He is day to day with a left leg injury.

UP NEXT

Pepperdine: Hosts Portland on Saturday night.

Saint Mary's: Hosts San Francisco on Tuesday night.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

JOSH DUBOW Josh is an NFL writer who covers Raiders and 49ers "