Saint Mary’s closed the first half on a 14-2 run that snowballed into the second half, and the Gaels ran past Southern California, 71-36, in the second game of Thursday’s Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, Calif.

Saint Mary’s (7-0) took control with its ability to attack the rim, starting with Jordan Ross. Ross scored the Gaels’ first eight points after halftime, getting into the lane off the dribble effectively.

He scored 15 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor to help pace Saint Mary’s overwhelming 48-18 advantage for points in the paint.

The Gaels’ edge on the interior translated to the glass as well, with Saint Mary’s outrebounding USC, 46-23.

Luke Barrett and Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with seven rebounds each. Saxen added seven points on 3-of-4 shooting despite taking a hard elbow to the face in the first half.

Augustas Marciulionis and Paulius Murauskas each scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds for Saint Mary’s. Mikey Lewis scored eight points and Ashton Hardaway added seven coming off the bench.

The Trojans (5-2), playing their first game away from home this season, struggled against a physical Saint Mary’s defense.

USC shot 13-of-50 from the floor, including 0-for-12 from 3-point range. Of Saint Mary’s 30 made field goals on 59 attempts, meanwhile, the Gaels had as many assisted as USC’s total made shots.

Ross and Marciulionis dished four assists each for the Gaels.

Josh Cohen was the only Trojan to score in double-figures, finishing with 12 points.

Chibuzo Agbo scored eight points off the bench. Desmond Claude, who had four points, was USC’s only other scorer with more than three.

Saint Mary’s will play the winner between Arizona State and New Mexico in the championship game on Friday.

–Field Level Media