Games #28
Saint Mary's Gaels (WCC 6-10, 11-16) vs. Santa Clara Broncos (WCC 4-12, 10-17)
Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. – University Credit Union Pavilion
Live Stats | Watch
Games #29
SENIOR NIGHT
Saint Mary's Gaels (WCC 6-10, 11-16) vs. San Francisco Dons (WCC 3-13, 10-18)
Saturday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. – University Credit Union Pavilion
Live Stats | Watch
MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels return home this week for their final games of the regular season against Santa Clara and San Francisco.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels only had one contest last week as they traveled to Stockton to take on the Tigers. It was Pacific who took the 65-53 victory after a strong first half propelled the Tigers past SMC. Saint Mary's attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter as they outscored their opponent, but it wasn't enough to surpass Pacific in the end. The Gaels struggled from the three-point line, which is unlike them, as they shot just 25 percent from beyond the arc compared to Pacific's 41 percent. Saint Mary's has now shot below 33% from three in each of their last six losses. The Gaels will look to turn their recent losing streak around as they face off against Santa Clara and San Francisco to close out the regular season. Saint Mary's will recognize their graduating seniors on Saturday prior to the game.
GAELS IN THE RANKINGS
Saint Mary's remain atop of the conference statistical rankings week after week in a number of categories. The Gaels are ranked first in the West Coast Conference and 16th in the nation with an average of 29.2 defensive rebounds per game. Saint Mary's also has the highest ranked free-throw percentage in the conference (74.4) while junior Madeline Holland ranks fourth individually in the WCC with a free-throw percentage of 78.9. The Gaels continue to dominate, as they have all season, from three-point range as they are ranked first in the WCC in three-point field goals attempted (688, 11th nationally), made (249, 7th nationally), and per game (9.2, 8th nationally). The team is also ranked second in the conference and 22nd in the country with a three-point percentage of 36.2.
SANTA CLARA
The Broncos are 10-17 this season with a West Coast Conference record of 4-12. Santa Clara most recently broke a four-game losing streak as they collected a win over San Diego at home on senior night. The team had not won a match prior since February 6 against Loyola Marymount. The Broncos currently sit at eighth in the WCC behind Saint Mary's and ahead of San Francisco. SCU is 3-9 on the road this season and they have not won an away game since January 4 against USF. Following their matchup against SMC, the Broncos will have one final regular season contest against Pacific before the conference tournament. Last time Saint Mary's and Santa Clara met, the Gaels took the 95-87 win at UCU Pavilion. SMC has won the last nine contests against Santa Clara dating back to the 2015-16 season.
SAN FRANCISCO
The Dons have a 10-18 record this season as well as they are 3-13 in conference play. In their last contest, USF upset the BYU Cougars 60-58, which snapped a three-game losing streak for the Dons. San Francisco is ranked ninth in the conference behind Santa Clara and ahead of Loyola Marymount. The Dons are 2-8 on the road this season as they have not won an away game since February 1 versus Santa Clara. Prior to Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's, USF will travel to Stockton to take on the Pacific Tigers. The match between San Francisco and SMC will be the last regular season game for both teams ahead of the WCC Tournament. When the Gaels and the Dons last met, it was the first game of conference competition and Saint Mary's took the win 86-79.
#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.
