Recap: St Marys-CA vs. Harvard

Moraga, CA (Sports Network) - Mitchell Young knocked down a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Saint Mary's Gaels their first lead of the game, en route to a thrilling 70-69 win over the Harvard Crimson in non-conference play at McKeon Pavilion.

Mitchell finished the game with 16 points, all but two of which came in the second half for the Gaels (11-3) as they logged their third straight win and the seventh in the last eight games overall. Also scoring in double figures for the hosts were James Walker II with 12 points, followed by Stephen Holt and Beau Levesque with 10 apiece.

Matthew Dellavedova, the leading scorer for the Gaels this season with 18.5 ppg, shot just 1-of-13 from the floor and finished with a mere four points, but did manage to hand out nine assists.

The Crimson (7-5) was paced by Jonah Travis who tied a career-high with 19 points before fouling out, while Siyani Chambers contributed 16 and seven assists, followed by Wesley Saunders with 14 points in the meeting. Chambers knocked down all five of his 3-point attempts.

Harvard, which entered the game on a three-game win streak after defeating California on Saturday, started the meeting on a 13-3 run and eventually moved out to a 35-21 advantage at the break, much to the surprise of the Gaels. The hosts shot only 22.6 percent from the floor in the opening half.

In the second half SMC, which trailed by as many as 18 points in the opening frame, began to chip away at the deficit. The game appeared to be almost over when, after missing a shot, Harvard grabbed the offensive rebound and held a 69-68 advantage with less than 30 seconds remaining.

However, Laurent Rivard threw the ball out of bounds with 21.2 seconds to play, giving SMC another possession and the opportunity to complete the comeback bid and that's when Mitchell stepped up to play the hero for the home team.

With the victory SMC has now won 17 straight home games over non-conference opponents.