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.
Takeaways
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.
Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas (23) shoots while under pressure from Loyola Marymount forward Jevon Porter during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/William Liang
Loyola Marymount: LMU showed it can play with the top team in the league and will be a tough out in the conference tournament.
Key moment
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.
Key stat
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.
Up next
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.
Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett reacts after the team scores during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola Marymount, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/William Liang
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This story corrects Loyola Marymount’s overall and conference records.
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