Beat Them in The Warm Up

Gaels beat Stanislaus State 107 to 28
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By Val Hill 
Sports Editor

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The Gaels came out strong right out of the gate against Stanislaus State, practically beating the Warriors in the warmup. The energy of the crowd fueling into the Gaels, giving off a dominating presence. Even though the Gaels were predicted to win, they didn’t let that get to the players' heads. 

Warriors gave the Gaels most of their free points through fouls and an overly confident defense. The Warriors tried to force the Gaels to speed up and to try and get the upper hand. And they did for a few baskets, but the Gaels quickly locked in and took control of the game. One player that truly stood out among the rest for the Gaels was Mason Forbes. Forbes is a grad student who was a redshirt last season and did not play. Forbes has made such an impact on the court that I could see him being an all season starter. 

Another outstanding player in that game was the hometown hero, Aiden Mahaney, a returning all star who set a new personal record for most points in a game. During that game Mahaney proved that he wasn’t just a second half player, but an all in player. From making almost all of his three point shots, to being an all around defensive and offensive player, Aiden was setting the tone for the rest of the season.
 
Since the Gaels were doing so well that game, head coach Randy Bennett decided to let everyone have some game minutes. Players such as Rory Hawke, Kevin Gad, and Cade Bennett finally made their debuts, all of which did not play last season due to redshirting. Freshman Jordan Ross got on the court and was starting to make himself known that game as well. 

All eyes were on the Gaels to have a total shutout and they provided. The Gaels only lost their momentum for a brief moment, letting the Warriors get 9 turnovers. But that made the Gaels not only fight back, but completely dominate the game. And with this game the Gaels set a new school record for most points in a game since 2010. Thus the end game score was 107 Gaels and 28 for the Warriors.

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