MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball closed the 2022 portion of their schedule by winning their first two conference games of the season. As 2023 begins, the Gaels will start the year with three-straight home games, the first two of which take place this week. Saint Mary's welcomes in the Academy of Art for a non-conference game on Tuesday night and then a return to conference play on Saturday night against Portland.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (12-4, 2-0 WCC) vs. Academy of Art Urban Knights (8-4, 3-3 PacWest)
Tuesday, January 3 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. Portland Pilots (8-9, 0-2 WCC)
Saturday, January 7 at 6:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Stream: WCC Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels needed a good start to conference play and they got just that last week, winning their first two games of WCC play. First, Saint Mary's took care of business against San Diego, torching the Toreros 85-58 in front of the first sellout crowd of the season inside University Credit Union Pavilion. Then the Gaels rang in the new year by beating Santa Clara on their home court 67-64 in the first true road game of the year for SMC. Saturday's win gave the Gaels their first 2-0 start in WCC play in five years (2017-18), but it didn't come easy. Saint Mary's led by as many as 14 points in the second half after trailing at the break, and then watched Santa Clara come marching back to make it a one-possession game in the final three minutes.
 
FOUR WINS FOR THE FRESHMAN
After the first week of conference play, Mahaney has been named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week, already his fourth time winning the award during his first collegiate campaign. Mahaney led the way for the Gaels as they opened up WCC play with a perfect 2-0 record for the first time since 2017-18. Mahaney led all Gaels with 18 points in a road win at Santa Clara, and averaged a team-best 16.5 points per game for the week, while shooting 55.6% from the field and going 3-7 from beyond the arc. He now has scored 11 or more points in 12-straight games, the longest streak on the Gaels this season.
 
ABOUT ACADEMY OF ART
The Urban Knights have enjoyed a solid start to the season, but are just 4-4 after opening the year with four consecutive wins. They closed out 2022 with PacWest wins over Biola and Holy Names, with the offense scoring at 98 and 97 points in those two games, respectively. Tuesday will be a challenge not just because the Urban Knights are facing a DI program, but also because they play at Fresno Pacific on Monday at 4:30 pm. The offense is very deep, with seven players averaging at least eight points per game, while Klay Brown leads the way with 14.1 ppg. Like the Gaels, they struggle at the free throw line, shooting just 60.1% at the stripe this season.
 
ABOUT PORTLAND
Expectations were very high for the Pilots to begin the 2022-23 season, and those expectations were raised after an incredible run at the Phil Knight Invitational. After beginning the year 4-2, Portland led for a majority of the game against then-No. 1 North Carolina before dropping it late. The next day, they beat perennial top-25 Villanova, and then closed out the weekend by losing by one point to then-No. 12 Michigan State. Not much has gone right sine, however, as the Pilots have lost four -straight, including two in WCC play. They are losing the rebound battle this year, and that's led the opposition to taking nearly 70 more shots than the Pilots. Only Pacific and San Diego allow more points per 100 possessions in the WCC, according to KenPom.
 
VIEIRA FAMILY COURTYARD IS OPEN
The Vieira Family Courtyard is officially open, located 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 basketball games.
 
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.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2022-23 season, and the fourth edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find information about various rankings and recent results, while looking ahead to the next five conference games for SMC.
 
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.