Saint Mary's Gaels @ Loyola Marymount Lions
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
SMC | 24 | 34 | 58 |
LMU | 19 | 36 | 55 |
No. 23 Saint Mary's beats Loyola Marymount 58-55 behind Murauskas
LOS ANGELES -- — Paulius Murauskas scored 18 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead No. 23 Saint Mary's past Loyola Marymount 58-55 on Thursday night for its sixth straight victory.
The Gaels, making their first appearance in the AP Top 25 this season, took the lead for good on a putback by Murauskas with 6:08 to play in the first half amid a 16-2 run that made it 24-17 when Mikey Lewis hit a 3 about five minutes later.
Saint Mary's (26-4, 16-1 West Coast Conference) clinched its second consecutive outright regular-season conference title with a 74-67 win at Gonzaga last time out.
Caleb Stone-Carrawell led Loyola Marymount (16-14, 8-10) with 17 points, and Will Johnston scored 12.
Mitchell Saxen played his program-record 151st career game for the Gaels, breaking the mark set by Alex Ducas (2019-24). Saxen fouled out with about five minutes left and finished with seven rebounds.
Harry Wessels, a 7-foot-1 junior, had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks for Saint Mary’s.
Saint Mary's: The Gaels showed grit and resilience, grinding out a win despite sporadic shooting (38% overall, 4 of 15 from 3-point range) and Saxen's foul trouble.
Loyola Marymount: LMU showed it can play with the top team in the league and will be a tough out in the conference tournament.
Murauskas, a 31% shooter from 3-point range, hit a corner 3 as the shot clock expired that gave the Gaels a 57-51 lead.
Saint Mary's outrebounded the Lions 43-26, including 12-2 on the offensive glass, and outscored Loyola Marymount 10-2 in second-chance points.
Saint Mary's returns home to wrap up its regular season against Oregon State on Saturday. Loyola Marymount awaits the conference tournament, which begins March 6 in Paradise, Nevada.
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This story corrects Loyola Marymount's overall and conference records.
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Game Information
Los Angeles, CA
Referee:Randy McCall
Referee:Tony Padilla
Referee:Kelly Pfeifer
2025-26 Standings
| West Coast Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 12-1 | - | 21-5 |
| Gonzaga | 11-1 | 0.5 | 23-2 |
| Saint Mary's | 10-2 | 1.5 | 21-4 |
| Pacific | 7-6 | 5 | 16-10 |
| San Francisco | 6-7 | 6 | 14-12 |
| Oregon State | 6-7 | 6 | 13-13 |
| Washington State | 6-7 | 6 | 11-15 |
| Portland | 5-8 | 7 | 12-14 |
| Seattle U | 4-8 | 7.5 | 15-10 |
| Loyola Marymount | 4-9 | 8 | 13-13 |
| San Diego | 4-9 | 8 | 10-16 |
| Pepperdine | 1-11 | 10.5 | 6-19 |
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