MORAGA, Calif. (Interstat) — In a dominant display of offensive efficiency and defensive pressure, the Saint Mary’s Gaels remained undefeated with a commanding 80-49 victory over the North Texas Mean Green in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday night at a raucous McKeon Pavilion.

A first-half offensive explosion from the Gaels rendered the second half a formality, as they built a 30-point lead by halftime and never looked back. The win improved Saint Mary’s to 4-0 on the young season, while North Texas fell to 3-2.

The story of the game was told in starkly contrasting shooting performances. Saint Mary’s operated with surgical precision, scoring 80 points on just 65 possessions for an elite offensive rating of 123.1. They shot 44.3 percent from the floor, connecting on 27 of 61 attempts, and were a steady 9 of 23 from beyond the arc.

North Texas, conversely, suffered through a night of frigid shooting. The Mean Green managed only 49 points from 70 possessions, an offensive rating of 70.4, and shot a dismal 23.8 percent, making just 15 of their 63 field goal attempts. While they hit 7 of 23 three-pointers and were an efficient 12 of 14 from the free-throw line, they could not generate consistent offense against the Gaels’ stout defense.

Saint Mary’s guard Mikey Lewis, an Oakland native, led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, setting the tone early and often. He was instrumental in the first-half barrage that decided the contest. He was complemented by a balanced attack that saw Paulius Murauskas of Kaunas, Lithuania, add 15 points, while Joshua Dent from Wollongong, Australia, orchestrated the offense with a team-high seven assists to go with his 10 points.

The Gaels also dominated the glass, particularly on the offensive end, where they hauled in 19 rebounds leading to numerous second-chance opportunities. This compared to just eight offensive boards for North Texas.

For the Mean Green, Je’Shawn Stevenson of Chicago was a bright spot, leading his team with 16 points. David Terrell from Dallas added 12 points for North Texas, but the team’s overall struggles to score proved insurmountable.

From the opening tip, Saint Mary’s controlled the pace. After a Stevenson three-pointer gave North Texas a brief 3-2 lead, the Gaels embarked on a decisive run. Lewis answered immediately with a pull-up jumper, and the Gaels’ defense began to clamp down, forcing difficult shots and turnovers. A 17-2 run midway through the first half, fueled by Lewis’s scoring and Dent’s playmaking, stretched a narrow lead into a 30-12 advantage.

The Gaels’ ball movement and inside-outside game were on full display, with players like Murauskas and Dillan Shaw capitalizing on feeds from Dent. The first half ended with Saint Mary’s holding a formidable 47-17 lead, having held North Texas to a season-low for a half.

The second half saw Saint Mary’s maintain its comfortable margin. North Texas showed more life offensively, scoring 32 points after the break, but could never cut the deficit below 25 points as the Gaels’ reserves helped close out the game. Saint Mary’s also shared the wealth, with Liam Campbell and Shaw each finishing with 10 points.

Defensively, Saint Mary’s was active, recording five steals and four blocks, while North Texas countered with eight steals and six blocks, led by two blocks each from EJ Horton and Dylan Arnett.

The game attracted an attendance of 3,392 to McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary’s will look to continue its perfect start when it hosts Arkansas State on Wednesday. North Texas, after a two-game road trip, returns home to face Central Arkansas on Thursday.