MORAGA, Calif. — At first glance, one might say the Saint Mary's women's basketball team stumbled out of the gate in 2016-17, dropping four of their first six. But flip that perspective, and they've won four of their last six – with all four wins coming on the road.
Home is where teams are typically most comfortable. Meanwhile, they strive to at least break even on their opponents' floors, where unfamiliar environments and unforgiving crowds can be difference-makers. Saint Mary's (4-4) has made a habit of winning on the road already this season with a 4-1 away mark, including an active four-game road winning streak.
I think that we do an exceptional job when we're on the road of getting our team – assistant coaches, head coaches, players, [operations], (athletic) trainer – on the same schedule and moving in the right direction," said Saint Mary's head coach Paul Thomas, now in his 11th season with the program. "I think that's a huge part of why we're successful."
The Gaels are in the midst of their second three-game road trip already this season. They will look to close the trip unbeaten at 2 p.m. Sunday at UC Davis after wins Thursday at Cal Poly (79-71) and Saturday at San Jose State (85-64).
ROAD IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Saint Mary's home opponents this season have been no slouch. Boise State, California and Utah are a combined 22-0 now through the season's first 4 1/2 weeks. And the Gaels were competitive against all three, holding leads and falling by less than 10 points in all three games.
But SMC has found its groove on the road. Three starters (Stella Beck, Devyn Galland, Sydney Raggio) all average higher points per game on the road than at home. For Galland it's a two-times effect. The fifth-year senior guard averages 6.3 ppg at home but 13.0 on the road. Her 3-point shooting has made a difference, as she's made 50.0 percent (13 for 26) of her road 3s but just 30.8 percent (4 for 13) at McKeon Pavilion.
Beck, the Gaels' leading scorer on the road (14.0 ppg) and overall (13.4 ppg), attributes the team's focus on the road to a team effort, without the need for any particular player acting as a shepherd to reel in those who may wander.
I think it kind of goes without saying," said Beck about the team's road focus. "I think that's a really good thing about our team is we don't need someone who's constantly getting on someone to do the right thing. We're responsible, we know what we should be doing and when we should be doing it. One, I don't think there's someone (to corral others), but two, I don't think there needs to be, so I think that's a really good thing."
A "ROUTINE" OF SUCCESS
The Gaels have won 20-plus games in five straight years, and the victories haven't come without some kind of success away from Moraga. Since 2014-15, Saint Mary's has gone 24-9 in true road games, with 10 road wins in both the '14-'15 and '15-'16 seasons.
When we go on the road, Coach (Thomas) makes a really big emphasis on keeping our mental attitudes high and positive," said Beck, "and even if things went wrong or if the bus was late, that kind of thing, that we control what we can control."
Amazingly, where Saint Mary's has struggled to control the ball on the road than at home, it has controlled plenty of other aspects to win on its opponents' floors. The Gaels boast a +0.7 turnovers margin at home but have suffered a -10.0 margin on the road. However, they've outrebounded opponents 43.2 to 30.0 on the road and shot 50.6 percent.
Our coaches and our managers, especially Shannon (Donegan), do a really good job of getting things organized so we don't have to worry about anything. So on the road it's really such a routine."
We're not strict on the road but everybody knows where they need to be and the time they need to be there," said Thomas. "I would definitely say we're a very routine-oriented road team and I think that has led to our success."
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