MBB | Gaels Play Twice on National Broadcasts This Week

Saint Mary's hosts Pacific on Thursday before flying to Spokane to face No. 4 Gonzaga on Saturday.

MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's will see two new but familiar faces during the week as they play Pacific and Gonzaga for the first time this season. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN networks.

GAME INFORMATION
Game No. 24 vs. Pacific (13-11, 3-6 WCC)
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 7 at 8:00 p.m. PST
Location: McKeon Pavilion (Moraga, Calif.)
TV: ESPNU
Radio: https://tunein.com/radio/Saint-Marys-IMG-Sports-Network-s280256/
Live stats: https://smcgaels.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Gaels' all-time head to head record: 76-43 (Last meeting: 1/20/18, A, SMC 72 — PAC 69)

Game No. 25 vs. Gonzaga (21-2, 8-0 WCC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. PST
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center (Spokane, Wash.)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: https://tunein.com/radio/Saint-Marys-IMG-Sports-Network-s280256/
Live stats: https://gozags.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Gaels' all-time head to head record: 30-66 (Last meeting: 2/10/18, H, SMC 65 — GU 78)

ABOUT PACIFIC
The Tigers are 13-11 this season and sit at ninth in the WCC with a 3-6 conference record. Pacific is just one game back of a three-way tie for sixth place between LMU, Santa Clara, and Pepperdine who are all 4-5. Last Saturday, the Tigers took down Pepperdine in Stockton with a 66-59 win.

Senior guard Roberto Gallinat is the leading scorer for Pacific with 14.7 points per game while two other Tigers, Lafayette Dorsey (12.0) and Jahlil Tripp (11.2), are also averaging double-digits.

The Tigers rank next to last in field goal percentage and last in field goal defense as well but are the WCC's leader in free throw percentage. Dorsey leads the WCC at 87.5 percent while Gallinat is third at 86.4.

Saint Mary's has dominated the Gaels-Tigers rivalry in recent years as they've won the last 11 matchups. SMC has not lost to Pacific at home since 1989.

ABOUT GONZAGA
On Saturday, the Gaels travel to Spokane for their most difficult road game of the season against No. 4 Gonzaga. The Zags are the WCC's top team so far with a perfect 8-0 record and are 21-2 overall. The team's only loses this season were to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 12 North Carolina, both away from the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs feature a talent-loaded roster who are led by forward Rui Hachimura, the WCC's third highest scorer at 20.4 points per contest. Redshirt junior and San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke owns the best field goal percentage in the conference (68.9) and leads all players in blocks with 2.9 per game in addition to an average of 16.4 points. Last year's WCC Newcomer of the Year, Zach Norvell Jr., is the Zags third leading scorer with 15.8 per game.

As a team, Gonzaga leads the conference in nearly every category including field goal percentage, field goal defense, assists, blocked shots, and steals. In WCC play, the Zags have an average point margin of +24.9 while their smallest victory over a conference opponent was a 13-point win against San Francisco on the road.

Dating back to 2016, Saint Mary's is 3-5 against Gonzaga and defeated the then-No.13 Zags in Spokane last season, 74-71. GU has been ranked 13th or better in all five of the teams' last meetings.

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