WBB | Complete 2021-22 Schedule Announced by Gaels
8/4/2021 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. — In conjunction with the West Coast Conference announcing dates for the 18-game WCC schedule, Saint Mary's Women's Basketball has released its non-conference schedule for the 2021-22 season. The Gaels are set to begin their 28-game schedule on Wednesday, November 10 and conclude the regular season on Saturday, February 26.
THE NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Saint Mary's opens on the road for the first three games of the year, heading out of state for two of those matches. The Gaels meet up with the Nevada Wolfpack in their opener on November 10, a rematch of last year's home opener for the Gaels in which Saint Mary's won 83-68. SMC will also take on UC Davis (Nov. 13) and Utah (Nov. 16) in road games before playing their first home game of the 2021-22 season.
That first home game will be part of the annual Thanksgiving Tournament at Saint Mary's, featuring California Baptist, UC Santa Barbara, and TCU. The Gaels will play TCU on Friday, November 26 at 2:00 pm before taking on the UCSB Gauchos the next day on Saturday, November 27. This kicks off a near month-long gap without travel for the Gaels, as they will host San Jose State on November 30 and Fresno State on December 4 in addition to tournament play around Thanksgiving.
Non-conference play concludes on the road before Christmas for Saint Mary's, making a trek across the country to the Carolinas for a pair of road games. On Sunday, December 12, the Gaels will take on NC State for just the second time in program history, and the first time on the road (previous meeting was during the Thanksgiving Tournament in 2019). Two days later, on December 14, SMC will play its first-ever game against Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina. Wrapping up the non-conference portion of the schedule in the Bay, the Gaels will travel to Berkeley to take on Cal on December 21. That three-game stretch before Christmas is one that is certain to challenge SMC, especially the NC State matchup, a team that is ranked inside the top-10 regularly in the NCAA.
THE WCC GAMES
Conference play begins on the road for SMC, with their first weekend being spent at Santa Clara and Pepperdine on December 30 and January 1. Saint Mary's will play WCC games at home for the first time on January 6 and 8 when they host LMU and Portland for a pair of games. That weekend spent at home will be the only full weekend Saint Mary's spends inside UCU Pavilion as they will spend every other weekend from that point forward with one home and one road game.
As far as big matchups are concerned, the Gaels will welcome reigning champion Gonzaga to Moraga on Saturday, January 22, and perennial contenders for the crown in BYU on Saturday, February 12. Local rivalries will be renewed on January 27 (San Francisco), February 3 (Santa Clara), and February 24 (Pacific). That matchup against the Pacific Tigers will be final home game of the season for SMC, and they will close out the regular season against USF on Saturday, February 26.
THOUGHTS FROM PT
"We do our best to schedule games that will challenge our team and coaches. Our team takes pride in how we prepare for each contest. We also schedule aggressively to be a contender for an at-large berth for the postseason, and this season is no exception," head coach Paul Thomas.
#GaelsRise – Join the women's basketball waitlist HERE to receive 2021-22 season ticket information!
THE NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Saint Mary's opens on the road for the first three games of the year, heading out of state for two of those matches. The Gaels meet up with the Nevada Wolfpack in their opener on November 10, a rematch of last year's home opener for the Gaels in which Saint Mary's won 83-68. SMC will also take on UC Davis (Nov. 13) and Utah (Nov. 16) in road games before playing their first home game of the 2021-22 season.
That first home game will be part of the annual Thanksgiving Tournament at Saint Mary's, featuring California Baptist, UC Santa Barbara, and TCU. The Gaels will play TCU on Friday, November 26 at 2:00 pm before taking on the UCSB Gauchos the next day on Saturday, November 27. This kicks off a near month-long gap without travel for the Gaels, as they will host San Jose State on November 30 and Fresno State on December 4 in addition to tournament play around Thanksgiving.
Non-conference play concludes on the road before Christmas for Saint Mary's, making a trek across the country to the Carolinas for a pair of road games. On Sunday, December 12, the Gaels will take on NC State for just the second time in program history, and the first time on the road (previous meeting was during the Thanksgiving Tournament in 2019). Two days later, on December 14, SMC will play its first-ever game against Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina. Wrapping up the non-conference portion of the schedule in the Bay, the Gaels will travel to Berkeley to take on Cal on December 21. That three-game stretch before Christmas is one that is certain to challenge SMC, especially the NC State matchup, a team that is ranked inside the top-10 regularly in the NCAA.
THE WCC GAMES
Conference play begins on the road for SMC, with their first weekend being spent at Santa Clara and Pepperdine on December 30 and January 1. Saint Mary's will play WCC games at home for the first time on January 6 and 8 when they host LMU and Portland for a pair of games. That weekend spent at home will be the only full weekend Saint Mary's spends inside UCU Pavilion as they will spend every other weekend from that point forward with one home and one road game.
As far as big matchups are concerned, the Gaels will welcome reigning champion Gonzaga to Moraga on Saturday, January 22, and perennial contenders for the crown in BYU on Saturday, February 12. Local rivalries will be renewed on January 27 (San Francisco), February 3 (Santa Clara), and February 24 (Pacific). That matchup against the Pacific Tigers will be final home game of the season for SMC, and they will close out the regular season against USF on Saturday, February 26.
THOUGHTS FROM PT
"We do our best to schedule games that will challenge our team and coaches. Our team takes pride in how we prepare for each contest. We also schedule aggressively to be a contender for an at-large berth for the postseason, and this season is no exception," head coach Paul Thomas.
#GaelsRise – Join the women's basketball waitlist HERE to receive 2021-22 season ticket information!
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