MORAGA, Calif. (Interstat) — Saint Mary’s dominated Pepperdine from the opening tip Wednesday night, cruising to an 88-60 victory in a West Coast Conference men’s basketball game at McKeon Pavilion.

The Gaels built a commanding 48-29 halftime lead behind sharp 3-point shooting and never looked back. Saint Mary’s connected on 13 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 50% from the floor overall. Joshua Dent led a balanced attack with 12 points and 11 assists, while Paulius Murauskas added 18 points.

Aaron Clark scored 18 points for the Waves, who shot just 34.3% from the field. Pepperdine’s offensive rating of 81.4 paled in comparison to Saint Mary’s mark of 119.8. The Gaels improved to 22-4, while the Waves fell to 6-20.