Gaels Grind it Out Versus Pacific

Stingy defense, poor shooting, whatever you want to call it.

Saint Mary’s snuck out of Pacific with a low-scoring 54-47 victory over the Tigers. Saint Mary’s moves to 5-0 with the victory over the Tigers, while Pacific falls to 1-4 after falling to the Gaels.

With 41 seconds on the clock, Pacific was down 48-45, but a Gabriel Aguirre layup off a marvelous T.J. Wallace assist cut the lead to only one point. Aguirre was fouled on the shot, but the senior forward could not convert the three point play to tie the game. Saint Mary’s then went on a 6-0 run to finish the game, all off of made free throws, to ice the game.

Brad Waldow had a phenomenal performance in a game lacking a lot of offense. The senior center finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Desmond Simmons also recorded double-digit rebounds with 10 boards, while Aaron Bright’s four dimes were a team-high.

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Not a single Pacific player finished in double-figures in the contest, and first-year center Sami Eleraky led the team in scoring with eight points. Three different Tigers finished with seven points and three other Tigers finished with six points, giving a balanced scoring performance. T.J. Wallace’s eight rebounds and Ray Bowles were also team-high’s for Pacific.

Both team’s will be faced with a daunting stretch moving forward, as the Gaels and Tigers will take on the BYU-San Diego and Gonzaga-Portland travel pairs in subsequent weeks. It is downright impossible to play poorly and come out that gauntlet with an above .500 record, so focus and composure will be key for both the Gaels and the Tigers in the ensuing four games.

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