The St. Mary’s Gaels stumbled out of the gate up in Spokane, but have rallied to only trail Gonzaga 37-35 at halftime. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 11-2 lead and looked ready to blow the doors off The Kennel. However, St. Mary’s showed veteran resolve as they climbed back into the game and eventually took a brief 28-26 lead. The Gaels benefitted from strong first halves by Matthew Dellavedova (13 points) and Mickey McConell (10 points).
As the second half begins, the Gaels will be looking to keep pace ahead of the surprising USF Dons. The Dons beat Gonzaga in San Francisco this past Saturday and have just completed an important 61-60 victory over Loyola Marymount on the road. USF trailed LMU 30-22 at the half but stormed back with a strong second half to escape with a key conference road win.
The Dons are currently 5-1 in conference and a half game back of Saint Mary’s. While the Gaels hold the tie-breaker with their home win against USF, they still have to travel to San Francisco next month. The Dons have sort of come out of nowhere after going 6-9 in non-conference play.