The Saint Mary’s Gaels pulled off a pair of victories in the South Padre Island Invitational and now find themselves heading to the championship game to face the BYU Cougars. Saint Mary’s is 6-0 and BYU is 5-0, meaning somebody will lose their zero tomorrow starting at 5:30 pm pacific time.
After winning their SPI Invitational opener against Mississippi Valley State with ease, the Gaels set multiple school records in their 121-52 victory over the Chicago State Cougars. They set a record for most points scored and largest margin of victory. The Gaels received double digit point contributions from six different players and shot 58% from the floor.
The Gaels dominated Chicago State on the boards 46-20 and also forced over double the turnovers 26-11. Throw in 10 blocks, 24 more assists, and 19 more second chance points, and Saint Mary’s and it was a complete effort by the Gaels.
Saint Mary’s followed that up this evening with an 88-68 victory over Texas Tech. Sophomore center Tim Williams dominated across the board scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and blocking four shots. It was Williams’ second double-double of the season and part of a dominant inside presence as the Gaels scored 48 points inside the paint.
The Gaels are getting a very balanced offensive attack thus far, with five players averaging at least 11 points per game. They’ll look to continue that strong effort tomorrow. Today’s victory advances Saint Mary’s into the championship game of the Invitational where they will face BYU out of the Mountain West Conference.