MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's (3-0) imposed their will against Akron (1-2) on Tuesday evening to the tune of a +19 rebounding margin and +42 on paint scoring, en route to an 87-68 victory. Akron is the first team that the Gaels have faced who earned a berth to last year's NCAA Tournament, but the Gaels handled the defending MAC Tournament Champions with ease, never trailing in the contest.
Saint Mary's never trailed in the first half, but despite leading wire to wire in the first 20, Akron managed to keep things relatively close. 150 ticks into the frame, the Gaels and Zips were locked in a 6-6 stalemate, but a 13-2 run sparked by a trio of triples from freshman phenom Mikey Lewis pushed the SMC lead out to double-digits for the first time at 19-8.