Saint Mary's defeats Pepperdine 45-72

Saint Mary's Dominates Pepperdine in Conference Showdown

The Firestone Fieldhouse was no match for the Saint Mary's Gaels' high-powered offense, as the visiting team cruised to a 72-45 victory over the Pepperdine Waves in a crucial conference matchup.

In what can only be described as a blowout, Saint Mary's (52.4% FG, 63.8% TS) thoroughly outmuscled and outscored the Waves (35.0% FG, 39.6% TS), leading by as many as 27 points at the final buzzer. The difference in pace was stark, with Saint Mary's converting 28 field goals to Pepperdine's 19, showcasing the Gaels' superior shooting efficiency.

The home crowd, which had hoped for a spirited performance from their Waves, were instead treated to a dominating display by the Gaels. While Danilo Dozic led the Waves in scoring with 8 points, his efforts were overshadowed by Saint Mary's onslaught of 19 points from Paulius Murauskas, who shot an impressive 53.3% from the field.

The statistics told a similar story. The Gaels' 59.6 eFG percentage compared to the Waves' 38.2 was a clear indicator of their superiority in terms of efficiency. Additionally, Saint Mary's outrebounded Pepperdine 28-17 on the defensive glass and committed just 11 turnovers, while the Waves turned it over 13 times.

For the Gaels, Andrew McKeever led all players with 10 rebounds, complemented by 8 points from Joshua Dent. The team's balanced attack was also highlighted by a strong performance from Paulius Murauskas, who scored 19 points despite struggling with his outside shot (1-3 3PT).

The result gives Saint Mary's a clear statement in the conference standings, while Pepperdine faces an uphill battle to regain momentum. The Waves will look to regroup and refocus for their next outing, but for now, they can't help but feel frustrated by the lopsided score.

Key Takeaways:

* Saint Mary's dominated the game with a strong shooting performance and balanced attack.

* Pepperdine struggled from beyond the arc, going just 4-23 from three-point range.

* The Gaels' superior rebounding effort was a key factor in their victory.

* Andrew McKeever led all players in rebounds for Saint Mary's.

Postgame Quotes:

None available.