MORAGA, Calif. — After a busy week with three games in conference play, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball looks to stand their ground on the WCC's second seed with home games against San Francisco and BYU on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Both games will be the second against each team this season. Saturday's game against BYU will be a "Red Out" inside University Credit Union Pavilion.

THE DETAILS
RV Saint Mary's Gaels (20-6, 8-3) vs. RV San Francisco Dons (21-6, 8-4) 
Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Television: NBC Sports Bay Area + (Krista Blunk, Dan Belluomini)
Live Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
All-Time Head-to-Head Record: 85-101, last meeting on 1/27/22, Gaels 72, USF 70

RV Saint Mary's Gaels vs. BYU Cougars (19-8, 7-5)
Saturday, February 19 at 7:00 pm 
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Television: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming, Sean Farnham)
Live Audio: The Varsity Network (Brian Brownfield)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
All-Time Head-to-Head Record: 16-17, last meeting on 1/8/22, Gaels 43, BYU, 52

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's traveled north Saturday to play Gonzaga in The Kennel. The Gaels hung around early, holding onto the lead until about the 10 minute mark in the first half, until Gonzaga ramped up the pace and took a 13 point lead into halftime. Saint Mary's pulled  within single digits in the second half, but eventually fell to the Bulldogs 74-58. 

OFFENSIVE SECOND
After the offense was a bit sluggish in the first half, scoring just 23 points, the Gaels adjusted and found some rhythm in the second half. The Gaels shot 48.4% in the second half, and 4-9 from beyond the arc. There were times when the offense was out-shooting Gonzaga, with Alex Ducas knocking down threes and Mitchell Saxen contributing in the paint for a few minutes. Getting themselves within relative striking distance, the Gaels held Gonzaga without a made field goal for nearly a six-minute stretch late in the second half, while nearly matching them shot for shot when they were going in. The lead was down to just eight points after a Tass dunk with 3:08 remaining, but the Gaels would not score again.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
The new and improved Dons are 21-6 on the year and a projected 11 seed in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology. A recent loss to Portland plagues their schedule, but they have taken care of business the rest of the year, winning games they should and picking up a couple quality wins along the way (Davidson, Nevada, Arizona State, UAB). The stellar backcourt from years past remains the same in Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea. The dynamic guards are averaging 12.6 and 17.9 points per game this season, respectively. Their frontcourt, however, has been remodeled, receiving four solid big men through the transfer portal this offseason. Yauhen Massalski, head of the pack, comes in from San Diego averaging 14.4 and 9.7 for San Francisco this year. The Dons can score, averaging 75.7 ppg on the season.

ABOUT BYU
The Cougars may not be the great 20-7 team from last year that earned a six seed in the tournament, but BYU is still a solid team this year coming in at 19-8. Good wins against SDSU, Oregon, Utah State, and Saint Mary's highlight their schedule, although a tough loss to Pacific looms as well. BYU's defense is decent as always, allowing 69.4 points per game. After losing front court anchors in the offseason in Matt Haarms and Connor Harding, freshman Fousseyni Traore has stepped into a big role lately, averaging 8.5 and 8.3, while being a solid defensive anchor. Star senior Alex Barcello remains the leader of this team, averaging 17.4 points per game. 

DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2021-22 season, and the final edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find a preview of the final six games of the regular season, and more information about Patty Mills entering the NBA 3-Point Contest and Gaels in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers with the Boomers.

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