St. Mary’s lost to UConn in the second round of the NCAA tournament, unable to overcome the size and athleticism disadvantage they faced. St. Mary’s may face difficulties next year with the potential loss of leading scorer Logan Johnson and seniors Alex Ducas and Kyle Bowen. It’s unclear if the seniors will return for a fifth year, leaving the Gaels with uncertain odds. The question remains: how much longer must St. Mary’s wait to shed its underdog label? The loss was a disappointment for the Gaels, who had hoped to establish themselves as a college basketball heavyweight. Despite clinching a share of the regular-season WCC crown with Gonzaga and being ranked in the AP Top 25, St. Mary’s was unable to make it past the second round. The Huskies’ Adama Sanogo’s impressive performance contributed to St. Mary’s loss, which marked the fourth time in 11 years that St. Mary’s lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
UConn delivered a crushing blow to St. Mary’s, overpowering them in a second-half run to secure a 70-55 victory. Despite a valiant effort, the Gaels were unable to keep up with UConn’s impressive performance, leaving them short of the Sweet 16. St. Mary’s Logan Johnson and Aidan Mahaney made attempts to rally their team in the first half, but UConn’s Joey Calcaterra proved too much to handle. The loss was a disappointment for the Gaels, with Alex Ducas needing help from teammates and coach Randy Bennett after suffering a first-half injury.
St. Mary’s appeared to have a fighting chance against UConn, dictating the tempo and hitting big shots. But the Huskies unleashed a game-changing run in the second half, which has become their signature play, leaving St. Mary’s scrambling in a 70-55 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Without guard Alex Ducas, who left the game early with a back injury, St. Mary’s simply couldn’t muster enough offense when they needed it most. This was a disappointment for the Gaels, who had hoped to establish themselves as a college basketball heavyweight. Despite having a star freshman and a strong core of seniors, St. Mary’s just wasn’t quite good enough without Ducas.
St. Mary’s Struggled to Overcome UConn’s Size and Athleticism
Even with a sound game plan, St. Mary’s couldn’t overcome the size and athleticism disadvantage they faced against a UConn team armed with several future NBA players. The Gaels had a tough time keeping UConn center Adama Sanogo off the glass, and he scored 24 points on just 16 shots. St. Mary’s shot just 38.8% from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 68.4% from the foul line, which contributed to their loss.
St. Mary’s March Madness Disappointment
This loss marked the fourth time in 11 years that St. Mary’s lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, despite being a consistent program. They have only reached one Sweet 16 in modern history, and this year’s loss was a tough pill to swallow. Despite clinching a share of the regular-season WCC crown with Gonzaga and being ranked in the AP Top 25, St. Mary’s was unable to make it past the second round.
St. Mary’s may face difficulties next year with the potential loss of leading scorer Logan Johnson and seniors Alex Ducas and Kyle Bowen. It’s unclear if the seniors will return for a fifth year, leaving the Gaels with uncertain odds. The question remains: how much longer must St. Mary’s wait to shed its underdog label?
No additional subheadings required.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
