Allen leads Gaels over New Mexico State
Senior forward narrowly misses triple double as Gaels start season in triple digits
Bryant West
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Sports
No Patty Mills, no Diamon Simpson, no Carlin Hughes. Four of the Gaels starters from last year have hung up their jerseys and left many fans wondering just how good the team could be this season.
If Friday night is any indication, the Gaels will be just fine. The Saint Mary's men's basketball team started off the new season in triple digits, cruising past the New Mexico State Aggies 100 to 68 in front of a sold out crowd packed into McKeon Pavilion.
New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said after the game, "super stars come and go, but the program stays the same and they've got a good program."
Senior forward Ben Allen, who averaged just 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.1 minutes last year, finished just shy of a triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists before falling out with 3:43 to go.
"(Junior forward) Phil Benson told me with about 6 minutes to go that I needed one rebound and one assist," Allen said after the game. "I got the rebound, but then I fouled out. I'm glad coach had the confidence in me and gave me the chance to show him what I could do. I really appreciate that."
The Gaels finished the game shooting 52.3%, while the Aggies finished at a 39.3% clip. Freshman guard Matthew Dellavedova had 19 points and four assists, senior guard Wayne Hunter had 19 points and junior guard Mickey McConnell finished with 12 points and four assists. Omar Samhan, hampered by foul trouble, had 12 points and five boards in 16 minutes. Aggies center Hamidu Rahman, finished with a team high 22 points and eight rebounds.
Samhan scored first for the Gaels, a floater in the lane for a 2-0 start. The Gaels never looked back, pulling ahead for a 13-2 lead on a layup from freshman forward Mitchell Young. The Aggies crept back in, closing in at 15-10 on a layup by Rahman, but a three from Dellavedova recaptured the momentum for the Gaels.
From that point on the Gaels lead never dipped below six. A pair of free throws by freshman forward Beau Levesque gave Saint Mary's their largest lead of the game of 34 at 94-60 with 3:05 to go, and a three pointer by freshman guard Trey Anderson put the Gaels into triple digits.
The Gaels played on Monday night against the San Diego State Aztecs and next take on Vanderbilt on Friday, November 20 in McKeon Pavilion. Coverage of both games will be in next week's Collegian.
If Friday night is any indication, the Gaels will be just fine. The Saint Mary's men's basketball team started off the new season in triple digits, cruising past the New Mexico State Aggies 100 to 68 in front of a sold out crowd packed into McKeon Pavilion.
New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said after the game, "super stars come and go, but the program stays the same and they've got a good program."
Senior forward Ben Allen, who averaged just 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.1 minutes last year, finished just shy of a triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists before falling out with 3:43 to go.
"(Junior forward) Phil Benson told me with about 6 minutes to go that I needed one rebound and one assist," Allen said after the game. "I got the rebound, but then I fouled out. I'm glad coach had the confidence in me and gave me the chance to show him what I could do. I really appreciate that."
The Gaels finished the game shooting 52.3%, while the Aggies finished at a 39.3% clip. Freshman guard Matthew Dellavedova had 19 points and four assists, senior guard Wayne Hunter had 19 points and junior guard Mickey McConnell finished with 12 points and four assists. Omar Samhan, hampered by foul trouble, had 12 points and five boards in 16 minutes. Aggies center Hamidu Rahman, finished with a team high 22 points and eight rebounds.
Samhan scored first for the Gaels, a floater in the lane for a 2-0 start. The Gaels never looked back, pulling ahead for a 13-2 lead on a layup from freshman forward Mitchell Young. The Aggies crept back in, closing in at 15-10 on a layup by Rahman, but a three from Dellavedova recaptured the momentum for the Gaels.
From that point on the Gaels lead never dipped below six. A pair of free throws by freshman forward Beau Levesque gave Saint Mary's their largest lead of the game of 34 at 94-60 with 3:05 to go, and a three pointer by freshman guard Trey Anderson put the Gaels into triple digits.
The Gaels played on Monday night against the San Diego State Aztecs and next take on Vanderbilt on Friday, November 20 in McKeon Pavilion. Coverage of both games will be in next week's Collegian.