MORAGA, Calif. (Interstat) — In a commanding display of offensive efficiency and rebounding dominance, the Saint Mary’s Gaels avenged an earlier loss to their West Coast Conference rival by defeating the Santa Clara Broncos 86-67 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Wednesday night at a sold-out McKeon Pavilion.

A crowd of 3,500 watched the Gaels improve to 26-4 overall and solidify their position atop the conference standings, while the Broncos fell to 23-7. The victory was a stark reversal from the teams’ meeting on Jan. 17, when Santa Clara won 62-54.

The most important part of the game was Saint Mary’s immediate and sustained control, established through a blistering start and never relinquished. The Gaels opened the game on an 11-0 run, fueled by precise three-point shooting and relentless work on the offensive glass. Dillan Shaw and Joshua Dent connected on early three-pointers, setting a tone of offensive fluidity that Santa Clara could not match. The Broncos did not score until nearly four minutes had elapsed, and they spent the entire contest trying to climb out of that initial deficit.

Saint Mary’s offensive execution was nearly flawless, scoring 86 points on just 65 possessions for an elite offensive rating of 133.0. The Gaels shot 49.2% from the field and 42.3% from three-point range. Their most decisive advantage came on the boards, where they out-rebounded Santa Clara 20-5 on the offensive end, leading to numerous second-chance opportunities that continually stifled Bronco rallies.

Mikey Lewis, a guard from Oakland, led all scorers with 21 points and added seven assists for Saint Mary’s, orchestrating the offense with poise. He was supported by a balanced attack that saw four other Gaels reach double figures. Joshua Dent of Wollongong, Australia, had 14 points and eight assists, while Paulius Murauskas of Kaunas, Lithuania, contributed 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Dillan Shaw added 11 points, and 7-foot-1 center Harry Wessels of Boddington, Australia, controlled the paint with 10 points and two blocks.

Santa Clara, which managed an offensive rating of just 98.3, was led by Allen Graves. The forward from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, scored 20 points but needed 18 shots to do so, emblematic of his team’s offensive struggles. Christian Hammond of Denver added 11 points for the Broncos, who shot 40.7% from the field and were hampered by 13 Saint Mary’s offensive rebounds in the first half alone.

The Gaels led 42-36 at halftime and quickly extinguished any hope of a Santa Clara comeback after the break. A 9-2 run to open the second half pushed the lead to 13 points, and the advantage ballooned to as many as 22. Every time the Broncos strung together a few baskets, Saint Mary’s answered, often with a three-pointer or an offensive put-back.

The victory sets up a critical regular-season finale for Saint Mary’s on Saturday when they host Gonzaga. Santa Clara will look to rebound at home against Oregon State the same day. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Saint Mary’s was projected with a 77.70% probability to win. The total score of 153 points went under the over/under line of 151.5.