Feb. 13, 2016 Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
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LOS ANGELES - On Senior Saturday in Gersten Pavilion, the LMU women's basketball team could not slow a hot-shooting Saint Mary's team as the Gaels escaped with a 91-81 win in the West Coast Conference matchup.
Saint Mary's (19-6, 10-4 WCC) hit better than 73 percent from the field in the first quarter and stayed hot for the remainder of the game, hitting 58.5 percent for the game.
Senior Sophie Taylor had the hot hand for LMU (9-17, 5-10 WCC), hitting 8-of-15 from the field, including five threes, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line for 23 points. Fellow senior Deanna Johnson added 18 points and a career-high eight assists as the duo made their final appearance on their home court.
The Gaels had six players in double figures including Stella Beck, who finished with 27 points on 10-of-11 from the field and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.
LMU trailed by three, 25-22, at the end of the first quarter, but would go on to hit just 5-for-17 from the field in the second quarter as the Gaels opened up a 46-38 cushion at the halftime break.
After trailing by as many as 12 early in the third quarter, the Lions used a five-point run courtesy a Johnson jumper and Leslie Lopez-Wood three, cutting the Gael lead to five, 58-53, with 2:24 to go. But Saint Mary's would answer with five straight point of its own and eventually take a 65-55 lead into the final frame.
Taylor would open the fourth quarter with back-to-back threes, bringing the Lions within four, 65-61. Another Taylor three with 3:54 to play made it a one-possession game, 75-52. But the Gaels got back-to-back buckets from Megan McKay, pushing the lead back to six.
Andee Velasco hit a three of her own with 2:04 to play, bringing the Lions to within three once more. But this time it was SMC's Hannah Kaser who answered with a three and the Lions would get no closer.
Lopez-Wood finished with 12 points and Velasco had 11 points and seven assists to round out four Lions in double figures. The two teams combined for 47 assists, including a season-high 27 for LMU.
Three regular-season games remain on the slate for the Lions, beginning Thursday, Feb. 18 at Santa Clara.
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