Saint Mary’s Gaels outlasted the Illinois State Redbirds 90–85 in overtime Monday night at UCU Pavilion, delivering head coach Mickey McConnell a victory in his first game at the helm of the program, SMC Athletics reported.
The win marked the first time a Saint Mary’s men’s basketball coach has won his debut since Dave Bollwinkel in 1997, extending the Gaels’ season-opening winning streak to six games and their home winning streak to 27, SMC Gaels reported. It also gave Saint Mary’s its first all-time victory against Illinois State, avenging losses in 1993 and 1994, and its first overtime win since Dec. 3, 2024, when the Gaels defeated UTSA 82–74.
A Second-Half Surge Erases Double-Digit Deficit
The season opener found both teams deadlocked early, tied 27–27 with 3:30 remaining in the opening frame, SMC Athletics reported. Illinois State closed the half on a 12–6 run to take a 39–33 lead into the break, while Thomas Ndong sparked Saint Mary’s with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench in the first stanza.
Mantas Juzenas opened the second half with a 7–2 run that cut the deficit to one, and after Illinois State stretched the lead back to seven, Vangelis Zougris answered with a 6–0 spurt to bring Saint Mary’s within one at 47–46. The Redbirds continued to bury timely shots, however, taking their largest lead of 58–48 with 12:34 remaining in regulation.
Down double digits, the Gaels outscored Illinois State 42–27 down the stretch. With five minutes remaining, Saint Mary’s went on a 9–0 run capped by a Jeremy Dent-Smith steal and score that gave the Gaels their first lead of the second half at 73–72, SMC Athletics reported. Saint Mary’s defense then held Illinois State without a field goal for nearly four minutes, though the Redbirds hit a three-pointer to regain a two-point lead with 43 seconds left.
Freshman Bivins Seals the Win in Overtime
In the final seconds of regulation, Ndong ripped down an offensive board and scored a putback layup with 20 seconds remaining to level the game at 77. After Saint Mary’s defense forced a stop, the Gaels carried momentum into overtime.
Illinois State opened the extra period with two free throws, but veteran guard Joshua Dent answered with a layup of his own. Following a defensive stop, Ndong earned two more free throws after an offensive board and foul, making both to put Saint Mary’s ahead for good, SMC Athletics reported.
From Joe Lunardi “In its first game in 25 years without Randy Bennett on the bench, Saint Mary's was outplayed for 38 minutes on its home floor by Illinois State, but found a way to win in overtime, 90-85. Mickey McConnell starts 1-0 for the Gaels”
With 22 seconds left in overtime, true freshman Darius Bivins picked the pocket of Illinois State’s Demarion Burch and scored a layup on the ensuing possession, giving the Gaels a five-point lead that settled at 90–85. Bivins finished with 11 points, three assists and three steals in his collegiate debut, SMC Athletics reported.
Historic Stat Lines Across the Roster
Juzenas earned his first collegiate double-double with a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, the first season-opening double-double for a Gael since Paulius Murauskas and Luke Barrett in 2024, according to SMC Athletics. Ndong contributed 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting off the bench, the most by a non-starter since Liam Campbell scored 20 against Ohio on Nov. 11, 2025.
Zougris added 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting clip, the first Gael since Matthias Tass in November 2021 to shoot 100% from the field on at least seven attempts, SMC Athletics reported. NewsBreak noted that Zougris scored the final six points of the game. Dent-Smith stuffed the stat sheet with six points, four assists, five steals and zero turnovers—the first Gael in nearly three years to record at least five steals, four assists and no turnovers, a feat last accomplished by Joshua Jefferson in January 2024 against Portland.
NewsBreak reported that Illinois State guard Johnny Kinziger led all scorers with 30 points and four assists, while Malik Moore added 16 points, four assists and two steals, and Mason Klabo scored 12.
Quick Turnaround Against North Dakota State
The Gaels return to action Wednesday, Nov. 4, hosting North Dakota State at UCU Pavilion in a matchup between two 2026 NCAA Tournament teams, SMC Athletics reported. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., with tickets available at smcgaels.com/tickets and the game streaming live on ESPN+.
For McConnell, the 90-85 overtime win over Illinois State in his first game as head coach extended Saint Mary’s streak of 27 consecutive home victories at UCU Pavilion in Moraga to start the 2026-27 campaign.
Awesome night game between Illinois State and Saint Mary’s, where @saintmaryshoops takes the W in OT, 90-85. Last time the Gaels played in a game with 175 points scored? 1/4/2020 – a 4OT conference affair with the Pacific Tigers Feels WEIRD to see a high scoring Saint Mary’s…
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