Saint Mary’s secured a significant victory over Oregon State, with Augustas Marciolionis leading the charge by scoring an impressive 25 points on Saturday night. This marks the team’s seventh consecutive win, as they closed out the game with a 74-64 scoreline. Marciolionis, whose father Sarunas Marciolionis is a celebrated Hall of Famer, stood out by landing four 3-pointers and connecting on 7 out of 12 shots overall, demonstrating outstanding efficiency for the regular-season champions Gaels. Saint Mary’s, boasting a best-ever conference record of 27-4 overall and 17-1 in the West Coast Conference, is looking strong ahead of the upcoming conference tournament.
Contributing to the Gaels’ triumph, Luke Barrett added 13 points and nine rebounds to the score. Mitchell Saxen, the Gaels’ stalwart who holds the record for career games with the team, impressed in his last home game by recording 12 points and 11 rebounds. This victory means that Saint Mary’s has shared or captured the conference title for three consecutive seasons.
Oregon State, on the other hand, was led by Parsa Fallah with 14 points. The team, however, couldn’t replicate their previous victory over Saint Mary’s, which they had achieved while playing at home earlier this season. The Beavers’ Michael Rataj and Liu Lelevicius each added 12 points to the scoreboard, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide in their favor this time.
Reflecting on the game’s dynamics, Oregon State set a strong initial presence in the key area but faltered due to inadequate perimeter shooting, managing just 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Saint Mary’s wasn’t at their aesthetic best but executed their play effectively as they approach the conference tournament in good form. A pivotal moment of the game came when Oregon State had narrowed their deficit to just four points. With seven minutes left, Marciolionis made a crucial steal, was fouled, and secured two free throws, helping Saint Mary’s maintain a comfortable lead thereafter.
An interesting statistic from the game is that Saint Mary’s didn’t attempt a single free throw in the first half, yet went an impressive 19 of 23 from the line in the second half. The next challenge for both teams is the West Coast Conference tournament, which will commence on Friday in Las Vegas. This will be an opportunity for each team to showcase their skills and compete for the championship title.
