Thursday, March 5
Las Vegas, NV
2:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
15-17,6-12WCC
62
vs
66
San Diego
11-21,4-14WCC
1
2
3
4
F
San Diego
23
11
11
21
66
Saint Mary's (CA)
13
13
18
18
62
WBB | Gaels Show Resilience and Grit but Fall to Toreros in Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship
3/5/2026 7:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Resilience and determination have been characteristics all season long for the Saint Mary's women's basketball team, but the Gaels saw their season come to an end on Thursday in a 66-62 loss to 11-seed San Diego in the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship.
The Gaels found themselves down by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter, and in true Saint Mary's fashion, clawed all the way back to take numerous two-point leads in the fourth quarter. Malia Latu and Edie Clarke were dynamite for the Gaels in the second half, combining for 21 points over the final two quarters.
Saint Mary's led 62-61 with 1:55 remaining but finished one for its last seven field goal attempts while San Diego went 5-for-6 from the free throw line to seal the narrow four-point victory and advance to the second round of the conference tournament.
Clarke went for 17 points and eleven rebounds for her first career double-double while Latu came alive in the second half, finishing with a season high 19 points on 47% shooting. Charlece Ohiaeri also enjoyed a nice homecoming, as the Las Vegas native went for seven points and hit a big corner three that helped put the Gaels up 60-59 with 2:45 remaining. Jada Hunter also added five points and three rebounds in the Gaels starting lineup.
HOW IT HAPPENED
San Diego came out shooting, hitting five three-pointers to contribute to a 23-point first quarter. The Toreros led by as many as 13 points but Saint Mary's has always found a way to answer early in games, and they did so with back-to-back and-one's, courtesy of Ella Wedin and Jada Hunter. Wedin snagged an offensive board and put the layup in through contact while Hunter scored on a driving layup with seven seconds remaining to cut the deficit to ten at the break.
The defense tightened up for the Gaels in the second quarter as they cut the deficit to eight at the half, holding San Diego to eleven points on 27% shooting. The Toreros were just 3-for-11 from the field, while Edie Clarke and Malia Latu carried the load for the Gaels, scoring 11 of the team's 13 points in the quarter.
Saint Mary's really made its move in the third quarter, outscoring San Diego 18-11 to find themselves down just one point heading into the fourth. Latu scored the Gaels' first four points in the quarter to cut the deficit to six. She then put back an acrobatic hook shot through contact minutes later to make it 38-34 with 6:35 left in the quarter. After a defensive stop on the other end featuring a block from Abigail Shoff, Jada Hunter would get downhill in transition and go coast-to-coast for the and-one layup to make it a two-point game.
Saint Mary's had all the momentum as the third quarter came to a close including a two-point lead with 57 seconds remaining but the tide shifted ever so slightly after USD's Kylie Ray hit a running three-pointer as time expired to swing the Toreros back in front 45-44 going into the fourth.
Both offenses really took off in the fourth quarter, combining for 39 points which contributed to multiple lead changes over the final ten minutes. Both teams were trading punches like boxers in the final round, but Saint Mary's hit another costly cold spell, making just one of its final seven field goal attempts, while San Diego sealed the win at the free throw line, finishing the game 5-for-6 over the final two minutes.
Three players scored all 18 points for the Gaels in the fourth, including seven from Clarke, six from Latu and five from Ohiaeri. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad have been resilient and gritty all season long, finishing the year with just three defeats in double-figures compared to 14 games decided by single-digits.
GAME NOTES
Final season stats and results can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels found themselves down by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter, and in true Saint Mary's fashion, clawed all the way back to take numerous two-point leads in the fourth quarter. Malia Latu and Edie Clarke were dynamite for the Gaels in the second half, combining for 21 points over the final two quarters.
Saint Mary's led 62-61 with 1:55 remaining but finished one for its last seven field goal attempts while San Diego went 5-for-6 from the free throw line to seal the narrow four-point victory and advance to the second round of the conference tournament.
Clarke went for 17 points and eleven rebounds for her first career double-double while Latu came alive in the second half, finishing with a season high 19 points on 47% shooting. Charlece Ohiaeri also enjoyed a nice homecoming, as the Las Vegas native went for seven points and hit a big corner three that helped put the Gaels up 60-59 with 2:45 remaining. Jada Hunter also added five points and three rebounds in the Gaels starting lineup.
HOW IT HAPPENED
San Diego came out shooting, hitting five three-pointers to contribute to a 23-point first quarter. The Toreros led by as many as 13 points but Saint Mary's has always found a way to answer early in games, and they did so with back-to-back and-one's, courtesy of Ella Wedin and Jada Hunter. Wedin snagged an offensive board and put the layup in through contact while Hunter scored on a driving layup with seven seconds remaining to cut the deficit to ten at the break.
The defense tightened up for the Gaels in the second quarter as they cut the deficit to eight at the half, holding San Diego to eleven points on 27% shooting. The Toreros were just 3-for-11 from the field, while Edie Clarke and Malia Latu carried the load for the Gaels, scoring 11 of the team's 13 points in the quarter.
Saint Mary's really made its move in the third quarter, outscoring San Diego 18-11 to find themselves down just one point heading into the fourth. Latu scored the Gaels' first four points in the quarter to cut the deficit to six. She then put back an acrobatic hook shot through contact minutes later to make it 38-34 with 6:35 left in the quarter. After a defensive stop on the other end featuring a block from Abigail Shoff, Jada Hunter would get downhill in transition and go coast-to-coast for the and-one layup to make it a two-point game.
Saint Mary's had all the momentum as the third quarter came to a close including a two-point lead with 57 seconds remaining but the tide shifted ever so slightly after USD's Kylie Ray hit a running three-pointer as time expired to swing the Toreros back in front 45-44 going into the fourth.
Both offenses really took off in the fourth quarter, combining for 39 points which contributed to multiple lead changes over the final ten minutes. Both teams were trading punches like boxers in the final round, but Saint Mary's hit another costly cold spell, making just one of its final seven field goal attempts, while San Diego sealed the win at the free throw line, finishing the game 5-for-6 over the final two minutes.
Three players scored all 18 points for the Gaels in the fourth, including seven from Clarke, six from Latu and five from Ohiaeri. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad have been resilient and gritty all season long, finishing the year with just three defeats in double-figures compared to 14 games decided by single-digits.
GAME NOTES
- Saint Mary's recorded a season low five turnovers, its lowest single-game total in the modern stat era (dating back to 2010).
- Latu recorded a new season high 19 points, just two off her career high.
- Clarke recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and a career high eleven rebounds.
- Saint Mary's trailed by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter but erased the deficit to take multiple two-point leads in the fourth
- The Gaels matched the Toreros with seven made field goals in the fourth quarter but SMC shot the ball at a 33% clip compared to 50% from USD.
- The Gaels went on a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter after an and-one from Jada Hunter to make it a one-point game.
- Saint Mary's was -11 on the glass after the first half but finished the game -2, outrebounding San Diego 27-18 in the second half.
- There were 15 lead changes in the fourth quarter alone with Saint Mary's holding multiple two-point leads.
Final season stats and results can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
SD
SMC
FG%
.382
.364
3FG%
.320
.300
FT%
.727
.579
RB
42
40
TO
10
5
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
PF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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