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No. 20 St. Mary’s races past Western Kentucky

Evan Fitzner, Ben Lawson

Saint Mary’s Evan Fitzner (21) shoots against Western Kentucky’s Ben Lawson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, in Moraga, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

AP

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Jock Landale had 15 points and 13 rebounds and No. 20 Saint Mary’s jumped to a quick lead it never relinquished to beat Western Kentucky 73-51 on Wednesday night.

Evan Fitzner scored eight of his team’s first 12 points as the Gaels took control from the tip. He finished with 11 points and three 3-pointers, while Emmett Naar had 14 points and six assists.

Landale went 7 for 13 from the field and is shooting 65 of 99 — 65.6 percent — on the season for the Gaels (8-1), who used a late 13-2 run in the first half for a 38-24 lead.

Justin Johnson and Que Johnson each scored 11 points to lead Western Kentucky (4-6).

Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett has challenged his team recently to play with more defensive fire, and the Gaels shut down Pancake Thomas. A graduate transfer in his first season with the Hilltoppers, Thomas shot 2 of 8 for four points and missed his three tries from 3-point range after getting a season-best 22 points in a win over Indiana State on Sunday.

The Hilltoppers shot 37.5 percent and 5 of 17 from 3-point range to lose for the fifth time in six games.

Saint Mary’s guard Joe Rahon limped off with a right leg injury with 4:37 left before halftime then returned just before intermission.

In the first meeting between the programs, Saint Mary’s jumped to a 7-0 lead in the opening 2:27 and 12-2 then never looked back.

BIG PICTURE

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers’ 24 first-half points matched their season low. ... WKU dropped to 35-97 all-time against ranked opponents and hasn’t won a true road game against a Top 25 team since stunning No. 4 Kentucky on Nov. 15, 2001. ... Coach Rick Stansbury still needs three wins for 300 career victories. ... The Hilltoppers will have gone 29 days between home games.

Saint Mary’s: The Hilltoppers were Saint Mary’s second Conference USA opponent after a win over UAB late last month. ... Top Warriors assistant Mike Brown sat courtside on an off day before Golden State hosts the Knicks on Thursday. Brown played at San Diego for 16th-year Gaels coach Bennett.

UP NEXT

Western Kentucky: At Detroit Mercy on Saturday to conclude a stretch of seven games on the road or at neutral sites over nearly a month’s time covering more than 10,000 miles and hitting six states.

Saint Mary’s: Host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday in the fourth game of a five-game home stand before the start of conference play.