WBK | Gaels Embark On Important California Road Trip
1/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. — Another important week faces the Saint Mary's women's basketball team, this time on the road, as the West Coast Conference season rolls on with nine teams all within two games of each other.
The Gaels (8-9, 3-3 WCC) travel to first-place Pacific (8-9, 4-2 WCC) for a 7 p.m. tip Thursday. They then take on Pepperdine (5-12, 3-3 WCC) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a game between two of three squads that are just one game back of the top spot in the standings. Both games will be streamed live on the Gaels' .
Saint Mary's earned a split at home last week against Pacific Northwest foes Portland and Gonzaga. SMC dominated Portland 92-76 on Thursday. It led Gonzaga for more than 33 minutes on Saturday, but costly turnovers in the fourth quarter led to a big closing run that gave the Bulldogs a 79-75 victory.
ABOUT PACIFIC
The Tigers (8-9, 4-2 WCC) have been a part of the WCC madness through the first three weeks. Pacific took off in December with three straight WCC wins to sit in first place but lost back-to-back conference contests to come right back to the pack. They most recently edged San Francisco, 63-60, at home. The Tigers are 5-6 at their Spanos Center and have won back-to-back games there only once this season.
Pacific owns the WCC's top scoring offense at 75.1 points per game. It is the best 3-point shooting team in the conference, boasting a 37.3 percent mark from beyond the arc. GeAnna Luaulu-Summers is the do-all player for Pacific. She is the team's leading scorer (13.2 points per game) and second leading rebounder (4.5 rebounds per game). She leads the WCC with a 93.0 percent free-throw percentage and is third in the conference with 4.9 assists per game.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE
The Waves (5-12, 3-3 WCC) have been the surprise of the WCC so far. After starting the season with nine straight losses, the Waves have won five of their last eight, including toppling first-place Pacific, 59-58, on Thursday. Three of their five wins have come at home, where they are 3-5 this year.
The Waves sit just one game back of first place despite being last or second-to-last in 10 different statistical categories in the WCC. Where Pepperdine excels is on the glass, ranking third with 39.8 rebounds per game. The Waves also limit opponents' shooting, holding them to a WCC-best 36.7 percent from the floor and a second-best 29.1 percent from downtown. Yasmine Robinson-Bacote is Pepperdine's leading scorer at 15.4 ppg (fourth in WCC) and leading rebounder at 8.7 rpg (third in WCC)
STRONG STARTS NEED STRONG FINISHES
Saint Mary's has done well in the first half this season, especially in the first quarter. SMC has held halftime leads in 10 of 17 games and outscored opponents 337-282 in the first quarter alone. But disparity late has hurt the Gaels. SMC is getting outscored 329-285 in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 1-6 record in games decided by five points or less and three losses after leading at halftime.
COMING UP
The Gaels' three-game road trip continues into next week and concludes the WCC's first half. Saint Mary's travels across the Bay to take on rival San Francisco on Jan. 26 before returning home to begin a three-game home stand.
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