MORAGA, Calif. — After nearly taking down the top-ranked team in the NCAA, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball is back home for a midweek contest against Missouri State before heading back on the road for a neutral site affair against No. 22 San Diego State. Both teams have been on the Gaels schedule in recent years, with this marking the second year in a row that the Bears are coming to Moraga, and the third-straight season that the Aztecs and Gaels have met on a neutral court.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (6-3) vs. Missouri State Bears (4-4, 1-1 MVC)
Wednesday, December 7 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Stream: WCC Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 22 San Diego State Aztecs (7-2
Saturday, December 10 at 12:00 pm PT
Footprint Center – Phoenix, Ariz.
Stream: ESPN+ (Neil Harwell, Michael Watson)
Live Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's dropped both games played last week, with both losses coming down to the final minutes. The program record 23-game home winning streak came to an end on Wednesday night against New Mexico, with the Gaels falling 69-65 after having a chance to tie the game on their final possession. On Saturday, the Gaels went to Fort Worth for a neutral-site game against top-ranked Houston and nearly eked out a win, dropping the game 53-48. In the game, the Gaels out-shot and out-rebounded the Cougars, but neither team scored in the final 2:30 as Houston remained the top team in the country.
 
MORE MAHANEY
Aidan Mahaney was named the WCC's Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, and his first weekly award since the opening week of the year. Mahaney scored double-digits in both games for Saint Mary's this week, against New Mexico (11) and No. 1 Houston (14). On Wednesday against New Mexico, he was less of a threat from distance (just one made-three pointer), but was more efficient from the floor (4-9 FG). In the five-point loss against the top-ranked Cougars, Mahaney caught fire in the second half, making three of his four triples in the second stanza, and finishing the game 4-8 from that range. Mahaney also added six assists and five rebounds for the week. With the award win, Mahaney becomes the first freshman at Saint Mary's to win the award multiple times in a single season. He is also the first freshman in the WCC this year to win the award for the second time.
 
ABOUT MISSOURI STATE
This year's version of the Bears appears to be a bit weaker than the team SMC saw last year, with the Bears winning just four of their first eight games. They most recently scored just 40 points in an 18-point home loss to Bradley, which dropped their Missouri Valley Conference record to 1-1. Their season might look a lot different had they not dropped a game to BYU 66-64 when Dallin Hall hit the game-winning shot with just 1.5 seconds to go. They don't have many standout offensive players, with Chance Moore averaging 13.3 points per game off the bench as their leading scorer, but they have four others with at least eight points per game. Like the Gaels, they've struggled from the free throw line, with the fourth-worst free throw percentage in the NCAA at just 57.3%. Wednesday is their toughest game of the season, according to KenPom.
 
ABOUT No. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs are like the Gaels in that both of these teams make their living on the defensive side. The Gaels defense is top-ten in defensive efficiency, and the Aztecs are top-20. In terms of offense, they come at your in waves, ranking 20^th in the country in terms of bench points, with over 32 per game. They take care of the basketball, distribute the ball well, and have given the Gaels fits in each of the last two seasons, holding SMC to under 60 points in both games. Like Saint Mary's a year ago, the Aztecs were in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational this season, but they lost their final two games in the prestigious tournament, including a thriller against Arkansas on the final day of the tournament (78-74 in overtime).
 
VIEIRA FAMILY COURTYARD OPENS WEDNESDAY
Saint Mary's College Athletics will officially open the Vieira Family Courtyard at the men's basketball game against Missouri State this Wednesday adjacent to University Credit Union Pavilion. The courtyard will serve as an addition to the pavilion and offer an extended food, beverage and entertainment area for fans before and during the basketball game.
 
Thanks to the generous support from Jim and Julie Vieira, the courtyard will now feature the Forge Pizza truck by Fourth Bore, food options from the Good Eating Company and beverages by Canyon Club Brewery and BLACKENED American Whiskey.
 
Fans can enter UCU Pavilion through the main entrance and enter the courtyard from the northeast and southeast side of the Pavilion. The courtyard will serve as an extended lobby for the pavilion. Pregame activities for all games start 90-minutes before tip-off.

At game time, you're just steps away from the best college hoops environment in California.

Also, The Pub is back! The 1928 Pub is open on gamedays starting two hours before tip-off and is located at Cassin Student Union, next to Dryden Hall. For more information, click HERE.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2022-23 season, and the second edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find a recap of the season-opening home stand and information about upcoming opponents and tournaments.
 
2022-23 YEARBOOK
The 2022-23 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.