Saint Mary’s overwhelms San Francisco 79-54 as Murauskas, McKeever and Dent control the paint

Gaels turn a competitive first half into a lopsided West Coast Conference result

Saint Mary’s delivered one of its most complete performances of the West Coast Conference season on Saturday night, routing San Francisco 79-54 in Moraga. The Gaels built a double-digit halftime advantage and expanded it after the break behind a balanced scoring attack and a decisive edge on the glass.

Paulius Murauskas led Saint Mary’s with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, adding eight rebounds and four assists. The interior tandem of Andrew McKeever and Joshua Dent supplied back-to-back double-doubles: McKeever posted 14 points and 14 rebounds off the bench, and Dent finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Mikey Lewis added 15 points, hitting four 3-pointers, while Dillan Shaw contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

Halftime cushion set the stage for second-half separation

Saint Mary’s carried a 40-29 lead into halftime after getting early scoring from Lewis and Murauskas. The Gaels then extended the margin with a second half that combined perimeter shot-making with sustained control of the paint, limiting San Francisco’s ability to generate second-chance opportunities and consistently finish possessions.

• Score at halftime: Saint Mary’s 40, San Francisco 29
• Final score: Saint Mary’s 79, San Francisco 54
• Key Gaels contributors: five players reached double figures

San Francisco’s leaders could not keep pace

San Francisco was led by Junjie Wang with 14 points. Forward David Fuchs recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Mookie Cook scored 10 points with five rebounds. Despite those individual lines, the Dons struggled to match Saint Mary’s physicality and depth, particularly as the game progressed and the deficit grew.

What the result means in the WCC race

The win moved Saint Mary’s to 20-4 overall and 9-2 in conference play at the time of the game, reinforcing its position near the top tier of the WCC standings. For San Francisco, the loss dropped the Dons to 14-11 overall and 6-6 in league play, tightening the margin for error in the conference race as the regular season advances.

Saint Mary’s paired efficient scoring with rebounding dominance, producing two double-doubles and a 25-point conference win.

The matchup also continued a recent pattern of Saint Mary’s controlling this rivalry at home, with Murauskas again at the center of the Gaels’ offensive and rebounding impact.