Dent scores 24, Saint Mary's downs NAIA-member UC Merced 96-42

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Joshua Dent's 24 points helped Saint Mary's defeat NAIA-member UC Merced 96-42 on Saturday night.

Dent shot 7 of 11 from the field, including 5 for 9 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line for the Gaels (6-0). Paulius Murauskas scored 18 points, shooting 6 for 10 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. Mikey Lewis had 13 points and shot 6 for 14, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc. The Gaels extended their winning streak to six games.

The Bobcats were led in scoring by Sterling McClanahan, who finished with 10 points, two steals and two blocks. Pawllos Habtom added 10 points for UC Merced. Elijah Charles had four points and three blocks.

Saint Mary's took the lead a little more than three minutes into the game and did not trail again. Dent led the Gaels with 11 points in the first half to help put them up 40-26 at the break. Saint Mary's extended its lead to 64-30 during the second half, fueled by a 24-2 scoring run. Dent scored a team-high 13 points in the second half.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.