The St. Mary's Gaels hit the road on Saturday afternoon to face the Murray State Racers in a matchup that was featured on ESPN's BracketBusters national broadcast. Both teams were hoping to gain some ground in the national polls, with the Gaels in particular figuring to benefit greatly from a win over the Racers. Unfortunately, Murray State put it all together and walked away with the 65-51 win.
St. Mary's was in a sizable hole early on, as they trailed 34-25 at halftime. They were unable to really get things going in the second half and shot just 37.7 percent from the floor. They were even worse from beyond the three-point line, sinking just two of 14 attempts for a 14.3 percent rate on treys.
The Gaels once again saw lead scorer Matthew Dellavedova set the pace for the team. The guard picked up 17 points and six assists, being the only St. Mary's player to record double digits in scoring.
With the loss, St. Mary's is now 23-5 overall, with a 12-2 record in the WCC. The Gaels will play their next game on Thursday, Feb. 23, when they visit WCC rivals the Portland Pilots.