NCAA Basketball: St. John’s, Saint Mary’s wins in 2019 Al Attles Classic

Saint Mary’s Continues Winning Ways over Nevada

In the last game of Session 2 at the Al Attles Classic, fans were treated to a West Coast battle between two of the best guards you can find on this side of the country. Jordan Ford (21 points, 5 rebounds) and Jazz Johnson (17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) put on a show but Ford came out on top in the end. The three-pointer wasn’t falling for the Gael’s leading man so he quickly adjusted and started attacking Nevada (8-5) in many different ways, mainly with his deadly floater.

Saint Mary’s (12-2) came into tonight’s game leading the entire nation in three-point field goal percentage (47.3%) and averaging just under 10 three-pointers made per game which ranked for the 6th best in the country. The Gaels couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc against Nevada as they finished 3-20 (15.0%). They also left a lot of free-throw points off the board after going 11-19 from the charity stripe and had 0 points off the bench. I’m honestly very surprised that the Gaels won this game. Nevada just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities they were being given.

Malik Fitts (23 points on 8-16 shooting and 6 rebounds) was named the MVP of the final game of the night. He might be one of the most underappreciated players in the country. Smooth wing player for Saint Mary’s. The Gaels will be very competitive against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference and be a dangerous team come March.

Saint Mary’s is now riding an impressive three-game winning streak right now over California, Arizona State, and Nevada. The Gaels look to finish the non-conference strong against Seattle University next Saturday. Nevada starts Mountain West Conference play on New Year’s Day at home against Colorado State.

Overall, the Al Attles Classic was a success thanks to the best arena in the NBA. I hope this event continues to grow in popularity each year here at the beautiful new Chase Center in San Francisco.