Paulius Murauskas recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds as No. 23 Saint Mary’s persevered through a sluggish effort while dispatching Loyola Marymount 58-55 on Thursday night in West Coast Conference play at Los Angeles.
Murauskas drained a clutch corner 3-pointer to give the Gaels a six-point lead with 29.9 seconds left and Saint Mary’s (26-4, 16-1 WCC) finished off its sixth straight win and 16th in its last 17 contests.
The game was Saint Mary’s first of the season as a team ranked in the Associated Press poll.
Caleb Stone-Carrawell scored 17 points and Will Johnston added 12 for the Lions (16-14, 8-10), who lost for the 36th time in their past 38 meetings with the Gaels.
Saint Mary’s previously clinched the WCC regular-season crown with last Saturday’s win at Gonzaga.
The Gaels shot just 37.5 percent from the field, including 4 of 15 from 3-point range.
Loyola Marymount made 38.9 percent of its shots and was 4 of 12 from behind the arc. The Lions committed just three turnovers but still lost for the sixth time in their past eight games.
Saint Mary’s led by five at halftime before pushing its lead to 43-31 on back-to-back baskets by Harry Wessels with 11:33 left in the contest.
The Lions didn’t get dismayed and pulled within 50-45 on a 3-pointer by Johnston with 6:15 remaining.
Loyola Marymount moved within 52-49 on Stone-Carrawell’s basket with 3:17 left. However, Jordan Ross drove for a layup to push Saint Mary’s lead back to five with 2:04 left.
Johnston made two free throws with 59.7 seconds to go for the Lions but Murauskas answered with his big trey from the left corner.
Jevon Porter’s two free throws brought the Lions within three with 5.7 seconds left. Saint Mary’s Mikey Lewis missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2.7 seconds left but a desperation attempt from about 70 feet away by Myron Amey Jr. was well short of the basket.
Murauskas had eight points and 10 rebounds as the Gaels led 24-19 at the break.
Saint Mary’s shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the half, but the Lions were even worse at 26.7 percent.
Stone-Carrawell made two baskets to cap a 7-0 run as Loyola Marymount led 15-8 with 9:37 left in the half.
Saint Mary’s answered with 13 straight points and 16 of 18 to take a seven-point lead.
