No. 21 Saint Mary's beats San Francisco 66-46 (Jan 26, 2017)

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) San Francisco managed to stay close to No. 21 Saint Mary's until the Gaels turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and coasted to the win.

Calvin Hermanson scored 18 points and sparked a 14-0 run in the second half as the Gaels held San Francisco to just 16 points after halftime on the way to their 12th win in 13 games, 66-46 on Thursday night.

Hermanson started the decisive stretch early in the second half by hitting a 3-pointer and capped it with a layup as the Gaels (18-2, 8-1 West Coast Conference) won for the 23rd time in the past 24 meetings against the Dons (14-8, 4-5).

''We just did a good job of having a lot of energy on defense,'' Hermanson said. ''We really beared down, got a lot of stops, moved the ball really well and got out and ran in transition. That was a big difference for us.''

Emmett Naar scored 18 points and Jock Landale added 13 for Saint Mary's.

Charles Minlend scored 13 points for the Dons, who had won three straight games.

San Francisco stayed with Saint Mary's for the first 24 minutes and the game was tied at 34 before the Gaels took over. Hermanson started the spurt when he found a soft spot against the Dons' zone and the Gaels quickly took control.

Dons coach Kyle Smith, a former Saint Mary' assistant, got a technical foul after USF's Matt McCarthy did not get a foul call on a missed dunk attempt and Naar hit a 3-pointer in transition to build the lead to eight.

Naar hit the two technical free throws and the lead grew to 20 points a few minutes later as Saint Mary's rolled to the win by holding the Dons to 29 percent shooting in the second half.

''We didn't have the right response we needed,'' Smith said. ''You have to really be tough. You have to find a way to make a basket.''

BIG PICTURE

San Francisco: The Dons had allowed just 48 points per game during their winning streak and did a good job defensively early against the usually efficient Gaels. USF built a seven-point lead midway through the first half but Saint Mary's got back into it when the Dons lost track of Hermanson, allowing him to hit two open 3-pointers.

Saint Mary's: The Gaels once again took care of business against an overmatched opponent as they gear up for the return meeting with No. 3 Gonzaga on Feb. 11. The Bulldogs beat Saint Mary's 79-56 earlier this month but the Gaels will have a much better shot at home.

''It's a challenge to stay locked in on one week at a time, one game at a time,'' coach Randy Bennett said. ''There's a lot of pressure. You have to block all that out and focus on being as good as you can be every game.''

DOWN UNDER

The Gaels celebrated Australia Day by playing the anthem pregame and honoring officials from the consulate office. Saint Mary's has seven players from Australia on the roster.

''It's pretty cool for these guys who are over here,'' Bennett said. ''They always hear our anthem. Just to hear their anthem one time was pretty neat. I think those guys appreciated that and I appreciated it for them.''

HOMECOMING

The game marked the return to Moraga for Smith and Dons assistant Todd Golden. Smith served as an assistant coach on Bennett's staff from 2001-10. Golden played for the Gaels, helping the team reach two NCAA Tournaments. Smith said this game was easier than the first against the Gaels earlier this month.

''It was not as big a deal as I thought,'' Smith said. ''The time before there was nostalgia. But I did see some familiar faces.''

UP NEXT

San Francisco: Visits Pacific on Saturday.

Saint Mary's: Visits Santa Clara on Saturday.

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