National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
St. Mary's 71, San Diego 27
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Where: Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, California
Officials: # Klaus Endrissat, # Wilson Holland, # Ruben Ramos
Attendance: 1261

A bigger game with broader implications awaits Saint Mary's next weekend, but the No. 18 Gaels were dialed in and dominant in a resounding 71-27 victory over San Diego in a West Coast Conference game Saturday at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif.

Jock Landale posted 14 points and six rebounds for Saint Mary's (21-2, 11-1 WCC), which won its six straight and 15 of 16. Calvin Hermanson also scored 14 points. Joe Rahon had seven points, six rebounds and five assists.

Olin Carter III scored 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting for San Diego (11-13, 4-8), which has lost four of its last five. The 27 points were the fewest scored in a Division I game this season.

Saint's Mary's concluded its three-game road trip and returns home to face Portland before hosting No. 1 Gonzaga. The Bulldogs beat the Gaels 79-56 on Jan. 14 in Spokane, Wash.

"We're trying to win another championship, so we're trying to win every game," Hermanson said recently. "We know that (Gonzaga) is at the top right now and we're looking forward to the next time we see them. At the same time, we have to take it one game at a time."

Saint Mary's appeared to be focused on the task at hand from the outset Saturday. The Gaels outscored the Toreros 12-2 at the start and never trailed. They took a 17-5 lead on a 3-pointer by Hermanson, stretched the lead to 15 on a jumper by Emmett Naar and went up by 20 on a 3-pointer by Rahon.

The Gaels led 32-9 at the break. It was the second time this season they held an opponent to nine points in the opening half. They led 37-9 at the half in a 74-33 victory over Portland on Jan. 12.

The Gaels continued to pull away in the second period. They started the half with an 11-0 run to take a 43-9 lead on a 3-pointer by Naar and went up 54-12 on a jumper by Dane Pineau. The Gaels later extended their lead to 44 points on a 3-pointer by Jordan Ford.

Saint Mary's shot 51 percent from the field, made 9 of 22 from 3-point range and amassed a 43-23 rebounding advantage. The Gaels turned in a much stronger performance than they did Thursday, when they nearly squandered a 19-point second-half lead in a 74-70 victory over Pacific.

San Diego shot 19.6 percent from the floor and 23.1 from 3-point range. The Toreros were 3 of 25 in the first half, including 1 of 12 from 3-point range.

The Toreros entered the week averaging 69 points, but were held to a total of 80 points in losses to Loyola Marymount and Saint Mary's.

"I thought we took some good shots early on but didn't get anything to fall," San Diego coach Lamont Smith said. "Saint Mary's is an excellent team, and if you aren't making shots you are going to be in for a long night. We had a tough week and now we get to see how this team handles some adversity."

NOTES: Saint Mary's junior C Jock Landale was named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. ... Saint Mary's announced that ESPN College GameDay will visit McKeon Pavilion for the first time Feb. 11 when the Gaels host No. 1 Gonzaga. ... San Diego is one of the youngest teams in the Division I ranks this season with only two upperclassmen.
Top Game Performances
 
St. Mary's   San Diego
Calvin Hermanson 14 Scoring Olin Carter III 11
Joe Rahon 5 Assists Juwan Gray 3
Dane Pineau 8 Rebounds Brett Bailey 8
Kyle Clark 4 Free Throws Made Olin Carter III 2
Joe Rahon 2 Steals Brett Bailey 2
Jock Landale 2 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
St. Mary's 71 51.0 9-22 10-13 12 37 4 3 8
San Diego 27 19.6 6-26 3-5 7 18 0 4 11