MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels sit unbeaten atop the WCC standings, but hot on their tails, each one game behind are the Santa Clara Broncos and Gonzaga Bulldogs. This sets up a marquee week of basketball that will feature both the Gaels hosting the Broncos in Moraga, and the Gaels roadtrip to Spokane to do battle with the Zags. As we creep closer to the halfway mark of the conference schedule, these games will certainly play a major factor for WCC tournament seeding. 

CAN'T LEAVE THEM OPEN
Since the start of conference play, both Aidan Mahaney and Joshua Jefferson have found their stroke from beyond the arc. The Gaels highest volume shooter, Aidan Mahaney has hoisted up 50 three point attempts over the first seven games of WCC action, and has buried a conference leading 23 of them. His 46% three point shooting clip is good for second amongst qualifying players in the conference. Meanwhile, power forward Joshua Jefferson has added the perimeter jumpshot as another exciting weapon in his arsenal. The Las Vegas native has knocked down seven of his first 14 attempts from three in conference play after shooting just 7-38 from three during non-conference action. Over the past seven contests of WCC play, Saint Mary's leads the conference with a 38.1% three point shooting clip. 

THE BLOWOUT STREAK COMES TO AN END, BUT THE WINS KEEP COMING
Between January 11 and January 25, Saint Mary's never trailed and had not won a game by less than 17 points, outscoring opponents 321-189 over that two week stretch. This propelled the Gaels to be ranked in the top-15 in the country in scoring margin. The streak of massive margins of victory did come to an end on Saturday, as the LMU Lions pushed the Gaels to the brink, but Saint Mary's ultimately persevered, earning the 70-65 victory. Despite not being a runaway victory, the Gaels did push their winning streak to eight in a row and 13 of their last 14. 

ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Removing the Broncos matchup with the Gaels a little less than three weeks ago, Santa Clara may seem like the hottest team in the conference. SCU has won six of their last seven, including their first win over Gonzaga in 13 years. The only blemish on their recent resume; a 24 point home defeat at the hands of the Gaels. Since that loss, the Broncos have won three straight, and hope to avenge themselves on Wednesday night against the Gaels. After their last meeting, Broncos Head Coach Herb Sendek noted, "Saint Mary's is good because they're a good team. Yes, they have good individual players but they play team basketball. They play together on both ends of the floor and they complement each other extraordinarily well." The Broncos, however, continue to grow as a team, too, and will be ready to once again take on the mighty Gaels. The team continues to be led by the terrific backcourt duo of Adama-Alpha Bal and Carlos Marshall, Jr., who account for 29 of their 78 point per game average. That duo have both shown an ability to score inside and out, making them two of the tougher matchups in the conference. Since their loss to the Gaels, the Broncos have won three straight, averaging nearly 94 points per game in the process, after being held to 49 against Saint Mary's. The uptick in offense goes hand in hand with recent hot three point shooting, but the Gaels pride themselves on stellar perimeter defense. 

ABOUT THE ZAGS
The first clash of the WCC titans of 2024 will be held in Spokane as the Gaels get set to do battle with their rivals to the north. Gonzaga enters with a 15-5 record, including a 6-1 conference record, and will host LMU on Tuesday before squaring off with the Gaels. Head Coach Mark Few recently notched his 700th career victory. He is the only coach to earn more WCC victories than Saint Mary's Head Coach Randy Bennett. The best offensive team in the WCC, Gonzaga boasts five scorers averaging double figures, including defending WCC Player of the Week Graham Ike. The Zags shoot better than 50% from the field as a team, with four of their rotation players shooting better than 50% individually. Going to The Kennel is always a tough trip, but the Zags have already lost on their home court this season, falling to San Diego State in late December. Gonzaga is 79-32 all-time against the Gaels, but have lost to Saint Mary's once in each of the last two seasons. The Gaels have not won in Spokane since 2018. 

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