 | | | Stephen Holt Photo Gint Federas | | | | | | Saint Mary's men's basketball team struggled with consistency during their NIT run. The Gaels (23-12) qualified as a No. 4 seed. They came from behind to beat No. 5 Utah in the first round and jumped to an early lead in the second round against No. 1 Minnesota but could not hold on for the win.
On March 18 against Utah, Saint Mary's found themselves down as many as 13 in the first half. In the second half, they battled back behind baskets by senior center Matt Hodgson to cut the deficit to 44-59 with eight minutes to go. In the midst of the Gaels' come back run, senior guard Stephen Holt was charged with an offensive foul -his fifth of the game. Averaging 37 minutes a game, a WCC best, an emotional Holt was forced to sit with a little over five minutes to play.
Despite losing Holt, the Gaels went on a 13-0 run to take the lead and the game, 70-58. Senior guard James Walker III led the team with 23 points, tying a career high. Holt had 15 points.
With the win, Saint Mary's advanced to take on the Gophers on March 23. Instead of finding themselves down early, the Gaels jumped to an early 14-0 lead. Minnesota responded with a 15-2 run. The Gaels were up 26-22 at halftime, but the Gophers took the lead and eventually hung on for the 63-55 win.
Holt put up 24 points in the game, his last as a Gael.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA