Jordan Ross picked a good time to get out of his slump. The Saint Mary’s sophomore guard scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half to guide the No. 7 Gaels to a 59-56 first-round win over No. 10 Vanderbilt on March 21 at Rocket Arena. Ross hadn’t scored in double figures in over a month but got over the hump when the team needed him most. The Gaels (29-5) trailed by 12 early in the second half with two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis on the bench with foul trouble. Ross shot 5-of-8 in the second half and got hot at the right time to guide the Gaels’ comeback. “(Marciulionis) got in foul trouble, so we needed someone to play-make and get downhill, and yeah, I just started to be more aggressive,” Ross said. This season has been a rollercoaster for Ross, who scored in double figures four times in the first eight games for Saint Mary’s. He also had a stretch in mid-January with four straight double-digit scoring games. It has been a struggle since then with only two since then prior to the NCAA Tournament game. Despite Ross’ slump, the team believed he was capable of a performance like this one. “He’s been a heck of a player for a long time,” Saint Mary’s senior center Mitchell Saxen said. “Just because he has a couple down games, we’re not down on him at all. He knew he had to play a little better, and he approached practice like that. He approaches everything we do like that. Had a heck of a game tonight. So we’re not surprised by any means. If somebody gets in foul trouble, it’s next man up.” Saint Mary’s trailed by seven at halftime and faced a 39-27 deficit after a 3-pointer from Tyler Tanner. The Gaels have a thin bench and with Marciulionis out of the game, Ross stepped up. “Well, first of all, I had no option,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “It hadn’t happened. But I had a lot of confidence in Jordan, just the way — we have two point guards, and Augustas, two-time Player of the Year, so the ball is in his hands more. But I think when the ball is in Jordan’s hands, he’s good, too. He can really get to the basket. He’s kind of funny. He knows when he has to go, and he knew he had to go.” Ross capped off a 9-1 run for the Gaels with a 3-pointer. He later scored two straight baskets to tie the game at 43-43. Marciulionis came back in and finished the game strong with eight points in the final minutes, but Ross’ effort saved the day. It wasn’t the best offensive game for Saint Mary’s, but the Gaels relied on their suffocating defense. Ross also played a huge part on the defensive end, holding Vanderbilt star Jason Edwards to only five points in the second half on 2-for-8 shooting. The Commodores also went through a nine-minute stretch with only four points. “It’s something we hang our hats on, something we practice every day through our stations, our drills, our habits,” Ross said. “They were starting to hit tough shots. We just stick to what we’re doing because our defense is going to hold up.” ...read more read less