Video: Post-game highlights and thoughts from Coach Smith
SAN FRANCISCO – If there's any consolation to be found in USF's loss to Saint Mary's on Saturday night, it might reside in the Dons gave the nation's 19th-ranked all it could handle for 34 minutes before falling, 63-52 in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
With Saint Mary's (14-1, 4-0) nursing a 52-49 lead with 6:56 remaining, Tanner Krebs and Dane Pineau hit back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 48 seconds to give the Gaels all the breathing room they needed to win for the 22nd time in 23 games against the Dons.
 
Krebs' and Pineau's three's fueled an 11-3 run down the stretch as the Dons were able to connect on just one of their last 10 shots from the floor. Saint Mary's largest lead was 11 points at 61-50 with 4:42 left.
 
Saint Mary's center Jock Landale led all scorers with 21 points while Pineau (14) and Joe Rahon (13) also reached double figure. Pineau and Landale also recorded double-doubles with 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively. The Gaels held a decisive edge on the boards, outrebounding USF, 43-27.
 
Ronnie Boyce was the only USF (11-6, 1-3 WCC) player to reach double figures with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. He also had a team high six rebounds.
 
The Gaels, which came into the game holding opponents to just 58.6 points in the game – fourth-best in the nation – held the Dons to its second-lowest point total of the season. USF managed to shoot 37.3 percent from the floor, including an icy 28.6 percent in the second half, while Saint Mary's finished at 43.8 percent for the game.
 
The Dons forced the Gaels into 15 turnovers which led to 18 points.
 
 
The two teams were never separated by more than five points in a tightly contested first half before USF took a 28-26 lead into intermission following a Boyce jumper with 15 seconds remaining before the break.
 
Boyce, the Dons leading scorer, came off the bench for the eighth straight game as head coach Kyle Smith employed a starting lineup consisting of two freshman and three sophomores against the nation's 19th-ranked team. Freshman Charles Minlend made his first career start, but managed just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the floor.
 
"I thought we competed much better tonight than against Gonzaga but fell short on experience tonight," said Smith after the game. "They were really good defensively down the stretch and showed their experience and poise."
 
USF has now dropped a season-high three straight games, the last two coming against nationally-ranked teams in No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 19 Saint Mary's, but Smith knows there are lessons to be learned in both games.
 
"We didn't rebound well tonight but we defended pretty well and were more competitive. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are two very polished programs. Hopefully, we'll be better for the experience."
 
Smith, who served as an assistant coach on Randy Bennett's staff for nine seasons before moving onto Columbia, faced his mentor for the first time as a head coach.
 
"It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be – it was more the anticipation than anything," said Smith. "Randy came up to me before the game and said how blessed we both were and all I could say was amen. We both worked at the University of San Diego camp in 1992 and if you told me then we'd both be WCC head coaches, I'd say sign me up."
 
USF will return to action on Thursday when the Dons travel to Provo, Utah to meet the BYU Cougars. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. PT and the game will be carried live on BYUtv. The Dons will be back on the Hilltop next Saturday to face the Pacific Tigers. Tip-time is set for 8:00 p.m.