St. Mary's holds on in 1st round NCAA tournament win
St. Mary's completes comeback win against Vanderbilt, advances in NCAA Tournament
The St. Mary's College Gaels overcame a 12-point deficit and withstood a fevered attack by Vanderbilt in the closing moments to cement an opening-round win in the NCAA East Regional tournament. The Gaels will next play second-ranked Alabama on Sunday.
MORAGA, Calif. - March Madness has made its way to the hilly, East Bay community of Moraga. This, as the St. Mary's College Gaels men's basketball team played in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament.
The East Regional game tipped off in Cleveland, Ohio, versus the Vanderbilt Commodors, but St. Mary's hosted a game viewing party, to bring the Gaels community closer together.
"You ready!? Let's go Gaels!," screamed school President Dr. Roger Thompson inside The 1928 Pub, in the center of campus.
School students, faculty members and staff were glued to multiple TV monitors which showed the game action as the infectious delirium of March Madness ran rampant in this college of roughly 3,000 enrolees.
"I think it's really special, especially since I'll see some of my friends later, and yeah, I think it's really, really fun," said junior biology student Kealani Arata.
Added school admissions dean Dr. Chris Krzak, "It is incredibly important for the whole energy of the campus to gather around what is super and what is best about that campus."
This small school nestled in the Moraga hills has struggled to avoid an early exit and advance beyond the first round in the annual single-elimination tournament of 64.
Friday's 12:15 p.m. face-off against the Commodors started dismally for the Gaels, then became a nail-biter after half-time.
"Our coaches do well in half-time adjustments and I expect a different team in the second half," said school senior vice president Jim Brooks.
The Gaels found defensive form and 3-point range after the break, hitting five-of-seven long-range shots when they counted most. The team flipped a deficit into a slim lead and positive momentum.
"Students are just coming off midterms. It's a great opportunity to be in the community. Not only with other students but with staff members, community members and alumni," said St. Mary's College Student Involvement & Leadership Office Director Briana Hubbard.
With sophomore guard Jordan Ross providing a spark and senior Augustas Marciulionis hitting big 3-pointers, all the Gaels had to do was hold on down the stretch as Vanderbilt launched a flurry of shots in a last-ditch attempt to tie the game in the final seconds.
"I feel super-hyped. I'm so happy that we won. And I'm excited to see the rest of the games," said Arata, as the room erupted in screams of joy as the buzzer sounded, cementing St. Mary's 59-56 win.
"Can you pick a better way to spend a Friday?! I don't think I could," said Dr. Thompson.
And fan Dan Chilimidos said, "It took a lot out of us, but we knew they were gonna do it. They just pulled through."
The Gaels can now focus on their next opponent in the tournament, the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip-off is Sunday, but the time has not yet been announced.
Jesse Gary is a news & sports reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv, and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.