PROVO, Utah — After the first two games of West Coast Conference play were postponed due to COVID-19, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball returns to action on Saturday night as the Gaels are set to play at BYU. Tip-off for Saturday's contest is set for 7:00 pm PT and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (12-3) at BYU Cougars (13-3, 1-0 WCC)
Saturday, January 8 at 7:00 pm PT
Marriott Center – Provo, Utah
Television: ESPN2 (Eric Rothman, Sean Farnham)
Live Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
All-Time Head-to-Head Record: 16-17, last meeting on 2/27/21, Gaels 51, BYU 65
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels capped off non-conference play with a 12-3 mark after taking care of business against the Yale Bulldogs on December 28, beating Yale by a final of 87-60. Saint Mary's never trailed in the game and led by 21 at halftime after scoring 46 points, their most in a first half this season. As is usually the case, defense set the tone early for Saint Mary's, as the Gaels forced Yale into 23 turnovers, leading to 15 steals. No SMC team has had at least 15 steals in a game since 2010, when the Gaels forced 18 against the College of Idaho.
 
LONG LAYOFF
For the second season in a row, COVID-19 has affected the Saint Mary's schedule in WCC play. Last year, the Gaels were disrupted twice by pauses in the schedule, as the whole conference saw games postponed and eventually canceled. With the Gaels returning to action on Saturday night, it will mark 11 days since SMC last played. Their longest pause last season was nearly one-month long, with the Gaels were out of action from January 24 – February 12.
 
ABOUT BYU
The Cougars are always a strong team, and this year is no exception. They became the first WCC team to play a WCC game when they met Pacific on Thursday night, winning to improve to 13-3 on the year. It has not been an easy road for the Cougars, however, as they've lost Gavin Baxter (ACL) and Richard Harward (cardiovascular) for the remainder of the season. They've been able to overcome it to this juncture thanks to Alex Barcellos, who is averaging over 17 points per game while shooting at over 48% from beyond the arc. BYU has quality wins over San Diego State, Oregon, Missouri State, and Utah State.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2021-22 season, and the fourth edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find a recap of non-conference play for the Gaels, as well information on the first West Coast Conference games of the 2022 portion of the season.
 
2021-22 YEARBOOK
The 2021-22 Saint Mary's Basketball Yearbook is available HERE. This contains all of your information on both Saint Mary's basketball programs, coach and player profiles, as well as Saint Mary's, administration, and fan information.
 
#GaelsRise — 2021-22 tickets and ticket packages are on sale now! To purchase tickets, click HERE. If you have questions, contact the ticket office by email smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu or call 925-631-4689…Saint Mary's Basketball…#TogetherAgain