Vanderbilt Commodores at Saint Mary's Gaels

Jordan Ross keys rally to help Saint Mary's beat Vanderbilt 59-56 in March Madness

The Commodores led by 12 points when Marciulionis — the two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year — exited with his fourth foul early in the second half.

Ross scored 10 of his 15 points with Marciulionis on the bench to help the Gaels (29-5) pull even.

“He’s kind of funny,” Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said of Ross. “He knows when he has to go, and he knew he had to go.”

Marciulionis eventually returned and hit a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Alabama on Sunday. The Crimson Tide fended off an upset bid by Robert Morris earlier Friday.

Alabama and Saint Mary's had a chance to meet each other in the second round of last year's tournament, but the Gaels were stunned by Grand Canyon before getting the chance.

There was no collapse this time. Instead, the Gaels found a way even after a sloppy first half. Bennett said some players were called out at the break, Marciulionis included.

“We just talked it over,” Ross said. “We’re a pretty composed group, and put that into action in the second half.”

Ross finished with 15 points. Marciulionis added 14 points and eight rebounds for Saint Mary's, which turned the second half into the kind of grind-it-out rock fight that became the program's signature on the way to its second straight WCC regular-season title.

Jason Edwards led Vanderbilt (20-13) with 18 points, but the Commodores missed a chance at the program's first tournament victory in 13 years when they couldn't keep Saint Mary's in check late. Vanderbilt shot 34% in the second half.

“We missed some shots around the rim,” first-year Commodores coach Mark Byington said. “We missed some open 3s. It was a lot of things there.”

The size advantage of Saint Mary's chief among them. The bigger, stronger Gaels outrebounded Vanderbilt 41-28 and blocked six shots, wearing the Commodores down in the process.

“I think those body blows got us,” Byington said. “One thing when those guys are that size, they’re not losing any weight or getting any shorter throughout the game.”

Marciulionis hit a pair of 3-pointers after returning from the bench, including one that put the Gaels up for good at 53-50. The Commodores still had a chance after Mitchell Saxen missed two free throws with 27 seconds left that would have iced it.

Vanderbilt went slowly and Edwards missed a step-back 3 with 13 seconds remaining. The Commodores grabbed the rebound but Devin McGlockton's 3 just before the horn clanged off the rim.

Takeaways Vanderbilt: The Commodores returned to the tourney for the first time since 2017 behind a transfer-heavy class. Byington probably won't have to dip into the portal quite as much during the offseason and is optimistic about the program's trajectory.

Saint Mary's: The Gaels pride themselves on their defense. It showed up late as the open looks the Commodores found for the game's first 25 minutes largely vanished.

Up next The Gaels will try to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 in what will be a contrast of styles. Alabama leads the nation in scoring at 90 points a game, while Saint Mary's gives up just 60.

How can I watch Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary's?

• TV Channel: Vanderbilt at Saint Mary's 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on truTV.
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