St. Mary's uses dominant second half to advance in March Madness over VCU

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Saint Mary's got the pace it wanted — and another win in the NCAA Tournament.

Mitchell Saxen had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and Saint Mary’s beat ailing VCU 63-51 Friday.

Alex Ducas also scored 17 points as the fifth-seeded Gaels (27-7) advanced to the second round for the second straight year. Logan Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds — part of a strong effort in the paint for Saint Mary’s — and reserve Augustas Marciulionis scored 13 points.

In a matchup of the Gaels' more deliberate style and the Rams’ up-tempo game, Saint Mary’s controlled most of the action.

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Mitchell Saxen (11) of the Saint Mary's Gaels reacts with teammates in the first half against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena March 17, 2023, in Albany, New York.  (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

"I thought we’d beat them inside," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "Both teams have good guards. It was a gritty game, and we just kind of outlasted them a little bit and got a little separation and were able to hang on."

Ace Baldwin led VCU (27-8) with 13 points, but he hurt his Achilles tendon and groin after taking a jumper with just over 14 minutes left in regulation. The Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year lay on the court for a couple of minutes before receiving treatment on the bench and back in the locker room.

VCU was down 38-34 when Baldwin left and 48-39 when he returned with 9:03 left after the Gaels of the West Coast Conference went on a 10-5 spurt sparked by a 3-point play by Kyle Bowen.

Baldwin hit a