All articles tagged with #saint marys
Saint Mary's pulled off a 10th-inning walk-off to eliminate No. 1 UCLA in the NCAA baseball regionals, while No. 4 seed Little Rock advanced to its first-ever super regional. The night also featured dramatic comebacks and upsets, including West Virginia forcing a Game 7 and Ole Miss clinching a supers berth.
No. 1 UCLA, after a historic regular season, was eliminated from the NCAA Baseball Tournament in its own regional, losing 6-5 in 10 innings to Saint Mary’s and ending a season that had looked unbeatable. The Bruins’ late-season offensive slump, injuries, and the regional heartbreak capped a dramatic fall for a team that had begun and ended the year at No. 1 in the Baseball America rankings.
Saint Mary’s stunned No. 1 overall seed UCLA 3-2, marking the first opening-day loss for a national No. 1 seed in the current regional format; the day also featured four No. 4 seeds beating top seeds and two 14-inning marathons (East Carolina vs Tennessee and Ole Miss vs Arizona State) plus Florida’s walk-off win over Rider as the regionals delivered chaos and drama.
Oregon State, seeded No. 8, will face Saint Mary's in the NCAA Baseball Regional on Friday, with the regional bracket featuring 64 teams and games starting at noon and 5 p.m. PT. The Beavers enter with a 41-12-1 record and have a history of competitive matchups against their opponents, aiming to advance in the tournament.
Grand Canyon secures its first NCAA tournament win by upsetting Saint Mary's 75-66, with Tyon Grant-Foster leading the charge with 22 points. Coach Bryce Drew sees the victory as a significant step for the program and the school, validating the vision presented to him when he joined in 2020. The team's speed, strength, and aggression were key in the atypical upset, and they now look ahead to facing fourth-seeded Alabama.
Saint Mary's ends Gonzaga's reign of WCC tournament titles by defeating them 69-60 in the championship game, with Aidan Mahaney scoring 23 points and Mitchell Saxen contributing a double-double. This victory marks Saint Mary's first WCC title since 2019 and ends Gonzaga's four-year championship streak. Both teams are expected to make the NCAA tournament, with Saint Mary's earning the conference's automatic bid.
Saint Mary's has secured the WCC regular-season title with a perfect 15-0 record, marking only the second time in 24 seasons that Gonzaga has been prevented from at least sharing the title. Despite the game against Gonzaga having no impact on the standings, it remains significant for both teams, with Gonzaga aiming to bolster its at-large resume and Saint Mary's seeking to complete a rare perfect run through its conference schedule. The upcoming matchup is highly anticipated as one of the best rivalries in college basketball.
San Diego State dominated the Main Event game against Saint Mary's, winning 79-54. Jaedon LeDee led the Aztecs with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Mitchell Saxen scored 16 points for the Gaels.
Aidan Mahaney led the No. 21 Saint Mary's Gaels to a 72-58 victory over New Mexico with a game-high 25 points and four rebounds. The sophomore guard's performance showcased the team's talent and depth, as they held New Mexico to 37.1% shooting and forced 13 turnovers. With a 2-0 record, Saint Mary's looks poised to contend for the West Coast Conference title, especially with Gonzaga's recent injury setback.
UNM Lobos point guard Jaelen House will be absent from Thursday night's game against No. 23 Saint Mary's due to an injury.
UConn guard Joey Calcaterra, who played against Saint Mary's six times during his four seasons at the University of San Diego, is familiar with the Gaels, who will be their next opponent in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Calcaterra said Saint Mary's tries to slow the pace down and make them work in the halfcourt on defense. UConn assistant Luke Murray will do the scout work for Sunday's game against the California-based Gaels.