Saint Mary's Gaels (21-11, 12-6 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (21-11, 12-6 WCC)
Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Moraga, Calif.— McKeon Pavilion
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MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels will play in the second round of the WNIT for the first time since 2015 on Sunday when they host Pepperdine Waves.

SCOUTING REPORT
In their tenth-consecutive WNIT appearance on Friday, Saint Mary's played an impressive game as they defeated Hawaii 67-43 in the first round. As a team, the Gaels recorded a 47.3 shooting percentage from the field. SMC scored 36 of their points in the paint during the contest and collected seven blocks, which tied for their second most on the season.

Senior Megan McKay collected her tenth double-double of the season after putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds. McKay also tied her career-high in blocks with three and went 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Sydney Raggio was another leader for the Gaels as she tacked 13 points onto the board while shooting 5-for-7 from the field. The senior tallied eight rebounds, two blocks, and two assists during the contest. McKay leads the conference in field goal percentage at .589 while Raggio ranks third in rebounds as she averages 8.6 per game.

Freshman Taycee Wedin led the Gaels' efforts on Friday as she tied both her career-high in points and her season best in blocks with two. The first time Wedin scored 17 points in the season was in a matchup against WCC opponent, Loyola Marymount, after seeing 22 minutes of action while chipping in two rebounds. Wedin played 25 minutes during the contest against Hawaii, which was her most of the season.

The Gaels are ranked first in the conference and 23rd in the country with an average of 76.2 points per game and have the second highest scoring margin in the WCC (+7.8). SMC is also ranked first in the conference and eighth in the nation with a team field goal percentage of 48.3. Saint Mary's leads the conference and ranks 22nd in the nation in assists per game with 16.0.

The Gaels and Waves split the season series this season with Pepperdine taking the last contest 77-72. Both teams tied for third in the WCC with an identical, 12-6 conference record.

PEPPERDINE
The Pepperdine Waves are coming into Sunday's game with a 21-11 overall record and are 12-6 in West Coast Conference play. Sunday's matchup will be the program's first appearance in the second round of the WNIT and seventh overall appearance in the tournament. In the WCC championship, the Waves were defeated by Brigham Young in the semifinals with a 68-63 decision. The semifinal appearance was their first since 2010 where they also went into the championship, but were overcome 76-48 by Gonzaga.

The Waves recorded their first postseason win in the first round of the WNIT as they overcame California Baptist in a 91-79 decision. During the contest, Barbara Sitanggan broke the single-season record for made free-throws with 162 and Yasmine Robinson-Bacote led the team in points and rebounds (31 points, 15 rebounds).

In their first winning season since 2011-12, senior Robinson-Bacote has been a key component in leading the Waves as she was named WCC Player of the Year and earned her third-straight All-WCC first team recognition. Robinson-Bacote ended the regular season scoring 20.0 points per game, which is good for 20th in the nation. The senior ranks fourth in the WCC in rebounds averaging 7.9 per contest. Robinson-Bacote had her best game of the season in a matchup against Pacific where she put up 35 points and 13 rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.

Sitanggan and Malia Bambrick also earned honors in the WCC for their efforts as Sitanggan was named an All-WCC honorable mention and Bambrick was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team. Junior Sitanggan led the conference in assists with 5.3 per game while Bambrick averaged 8.1 points per game in conference play. Junior Sitanggan collected 12 assists in a game against Santa Clara, which proved to be her most in a single game this season. Bambrick also scored her most points in a game against Santa Clara after collecting 25.

#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home basketball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.