WBB | Home Opener Set for 2021-22 Season
9/16/2021 10:01:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. – The Saint Mary's Women's Basketball Team has set their home opener for November, 20 at 7:00 p.m. against Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. The match up with the Broncos at University Credit Union Pavilion will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
SEE YOU AT THE UCU
With the home opener officially on the schedule it's an exciting reminder that games at UCU Pavilion will again have a home-court advantage for the Gaels as fans are able to attend indoor events as long as they are wearing masks.
"It has been a long time since we have played in front of our fans," said Head Women's Basketball Coach Paul Thomas. "We are currently preparing for games, especially our home opener against Western Michigan on November 20th. The coaches and student-athletes look forward to filling the UCU with our enthusiastic fans."
Since guests are able to attend events inside the pavilion, season ticket packages are again available. General admission for an adult is $95 with fees and season tickets are just $75 with fees for seniors and in the Red Zone Kid's Club.
For a little extra comfort, the general admission chair back section is $115 with fees for an adult and $95 for seniors and youth. The court side reserved section is $145 with fees for an adult and $120 for seniors and youth patrons who want that up-close-to-the-action experience.
Anyone interested in season tickets should visit the Women's Basketball Season Ticket Page. Along with requiring masks be worn at all times at indoor events, Saint Mary's College has adopted a clear bag policy at all Saint Mary's Athletic events beginning in the fall of 2021.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Women's Basketball is just two seasons removed from eight straight 20-plus-win campaigns and look to return to their winning ways in the 2021-22 season. The Broncos of Western Michigan have had winning records in five of their last seven seasons after going 6-15 overall in 2020-21.
The Gaels roster is chock full of returners, with just three true freshmen on the roster. Those returners include sophomore Ellie Croco who was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team last season, after she averaged 8.3 points per game during the 18-game conference slate. During those 18 WCC games, Croco shot the ball at a 42.5% clip, with a 37.8% shooting percentage from three-point range.
The current squad also returns seniors Madeline Holland and Taycee Wedin who earned WCC All-Conference Honorable Mentions last season.
Holland was second on the team with 11.3 points per game last season, and again did a bit of everything for the Gaels, shooting 46.2% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc, averaged 3.8 rebounds per game, nearly 2.5 assists per game, and nearly 1 steal per game. Holland reached multiple milestones over the course of the season, including becoming the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points. She also took over second place in the record book in career assists, and actively stands six away from 400.
Wedin was named WCC Honorable mention for the second season in a row. The Milwaukie, Oregon native finished second in the WCC in both three-pointers made (64) and 3FG% (39.3%). On 13 different occasions this season, Wedin hit at least three triples in a game, with ten of those coming in WCC games. She has made 212 three-pointers in her career, good for second-best in program history and tied for tenth-best in WCC history.
THE FULL SCHEDULE
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 their home opener.
The Gaels will play their 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.
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 their first conference home games on January 6 and 8 when they host LMU and Portland respectively.
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.
#GaelsRise – Join the women's basketball waitlist HERE to receive 2021-22 season ticket information!
SEE YOU AT THE UCU
With the home opener officially on the schedule it's an exciting reminder that games at UCU Pavilion will again have a home-court advantage for the Gaels as fans are able to attend indoor events as long as they are wearing masks.
"It has been a long time since we have played in front of our fans," said Head Women's Basketball Coach Paul Thomas. "We are currently preparing for games, especially our home opener against Western Michigan on November 20th. The coaches and student-athletes look forward to filling the UCU with our enthusiastic fans."
Since guests are able to attend events inside the pavilion, season ticket packages are again available. General admission for an adult is $95 with fees and season tickets are just $75 with fees for seniors and in the Red Zone Kid's Club.
For a little extra comfort, the general admission chair back section is $115 with fees for an adult and $95 for seniors and youth. The court side reserved section is $145 with fees for an adult and $120 for seniors and youth patrons who want that up-close-to-the-action experience.
Anyone interested in season tickets should visit the Women's Basketball Season Ticket Page. Along with requiring masks be worn at all times at indoor events, Saint Mary's College has adopted a clear bag policy at all Saint Mary's Athletic events beginning in the fall of 2021.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Women's Basketball is just two seasons removed from eight straight 20-plus-win campaigns and look to return to their winning ways in the 2021-22 season. The Broncos of Western Michigan have had winning records in five of their last seven seasons after going 6-15 overall in 2020-21.
The Gaels roster is chock full of returners, with just three true freshmen on the roster. Those returners include sophomore Ellie Croco who was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team last season, after she averaged 8.3 points per game during the 18-game conference slate. During those 18 WCC games, Croco shot the ball at a 42.5% clip, with a 37.8% shooting percentage from three-point range.
The current squad also returns seniors Madeline Holland and Taycee Wedin who earned WCC All-Conference Honorable Mentions last season.
Holland was second on the team with 11.3 points per game last season, and again did a bit of everything for the Gaels, shooting 46.2% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc, averaged 3.8 rebounds per game, nearly 2.5 assists per game, and nearly 1 steal per game. Holland reached multiple milestones over the course of the season, including becoming the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points. She also took over second place in the record book in career assists, and actively stands six away from 400.
Wedin was named WCC Honorable mention for the second season in a row. The Milwaukie, Oregon native finished second in the WCC in both three-pointers made (64) and 3FG% (39.3%). On 13 different occasions this season, Wedin hit at least three triples in a game, with ten of those coming in WCC games. She has made 212 three-pointers in her career, good for second-best in program history and tied for tenth-best in WCC history.
THE FULL SCHEDULE
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 their home opener.
The Gaels will play their 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.
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 their first conference home games on January 6 and 8 when they host LMU and Portland respectively.
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.
#GaelsRise – Join the women's basketball waitlist HERE to receive 2021-22 season ticket information!
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