Tanner Krebs buried three 3-pointers in a first-half flurry that broke the game open as Saint Mary's blew out California 84-71 Saturday night in a non-conference men's college basketball game in Moraga, Calif.
The win for the Gaels (4-4) was the second straight in the San Francisco Bay Area rivalry with the Golden Bears (2-4), with Saint Mary's having won 74-63 at Cal last season.
Cal led 14-12 after a jumper by Matt Bradley with 13-14 left in the first half before Krebs bombed in two straight 3-pointers to put the Gaels in front for good.
Krebs, Tommy Kuhse and Dan Fotu added 3-pointers to complete a 19-4 burst that opened a 31-18 lead.
The Gaels led 45-30 at halftime and were never seriously challenged in the second half.
Malik Fitts had a game-high 19 points for Saint Mary's, which had lost four in a row after starting the season with three straight wins.
Fotu and Jordan Ford had 16 points apiece and Krebs finished with 11 for the Gaels, who had lost their previous two home games against Harvard and U.C. Irvine.
Fotu (four), Ford (three) and Krebs (three) combined for 10 3-pointers as Saint Mary's hit 13-for-25 from beyond the arc and outscored Cal 39-21 on threes.
Ford also found time for a game-high seven assists.
Justice Suing had a team-high 16 points, Bradley 15, Paris Austin 12 and Darius McNeill 11 for the Golden Bears, who were coming off a 78-66 win over Santa Clara on Monday.
--Field Level Media
California | St. Mary's | |
Justice Sueing 16 | Scoring | Malik Fitts 19 |
Paris Austin 3 | Assists | Jordan Ford 7 |
Andre Kelly 6 | Rebounds | Jordan Hunter 8 |
Matt Bradley 4 | Free Throws Made | Malik Fitts 3 |
Justice Sueing 3 | Steals | Tommy Kuhse 2 |
Matt Bradley 2 | Blocks | Jordan Hunter 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
California | 71 | 44.8 | 7-15 | 12-12 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
St. Mary's | 84 | 60.0 | 13-25 | 11-13 | 19 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 12 |