MORAGA, Calif. (Interstat) — Saint Mary’s used a dominant second half to pull away from Florida Atlantic for an 88-75 men’s basketball victory Friday night at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels improved to 10-2 while the Owls fell to 8-4.

Saint Mary’s led 38-30 at halftime before outscoring Florida Atlantic 50-45 after intermission. The Gaels’ offense was efficient, scoring 88 points on 80 possessions. Paulius Murauskas led all scorers with 21 points and Joshua Dent added 24 points and six assists for Saint Mary’s.

Josiah Parker scored 17 points for Florida Atlantic. The Owls struggled from the free-throw line, making 16 of 25 attempts, and committed 15 turnovers. Saint Mary’s capitalized, making 26 of 33 free throws. A crowd of 3,129 attended the nonconference game.