Gaels ride hot start to easy win over Tigers

The qualities that have Saint Mary’s alone atop the West Coast Conference were on full display Thursday.

The Gaels made their first nine shots from the floor and were a near-perfect 15 of 18 from the floor in the first half en route to a 78-62 win over Pacific at McKeon Pavilion.

The Tigers (4-12, 3-4 West Coast Conference) never were in the game, as Saint Mary’s shared the ball and worked for open shots on nearly every possession. The Gaels (15-2, 6-1) entered the game ranked first nationally in field goal percentage (53.