MORAGA, Calif. — The wait is nearly over! Your 2024-25 Saint Mary's Men's Basketball team is set to take the court inside UCU Pavilion for the first time this season, on Monday, November 4, as the Towson Tigers make the trek from Baltimore to Moraga. The Gaels are on quite the hot streak in recent history, not only earning three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in program history, but also earning a #5 seed in each of those tournaments. Last season's rendition of Gaels Basketball was one for the history books, as Saint Mary's won both the WCC Regular Season and Tournament Titles for the first time since 2012 and just the third time in program history. The road to defend those titles begins Monday evening inside UCU Pavilion, and we cannot wait to see fans back inside packing the stands!

THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Towson Tigers
Monday, November 4 at 7:00 PM
UCU Pavilion - Moraga, Calif.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Tickets

SINCE WE LAST SAW THE GAELS
Following a 26-8 campaign, the Gaels went back to the drawing board to begin prep for 2024-25. Head Coach Randy Bennett brought in two transfers and four true freshmen and immediately began working them into the fold. Paulius Murauskas and Ashton Hardaway both come to Moraga after a year of collegiate experience at Arizona and Memphis respectively. Mikey Lewis and Joshua Dent were early signings for the Gaels, putting pen to paper on National Signing Day, while Liam Campbell and Oliver Faubert opted to join the Gaels later in the Spring. Over the Summer, Mikey Lewis played in the Capital Classic High School All-Star Game, while Paulius Murauskas starred for Lithuania in the FIBA U20 Eurobasket Tournament, as one of only two players to average a double-double throughout the entirety of the event. Leading into the season, the Gaels were picked to finish second in the 2024-25 WCC Preseason Poll, with Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen named to the preseason All-Conference team. The Gaels received votes in both the preseason AP and Coaches Poll, and are ranked fifth in the College Insider Mid-Major top-25. Mitchell Saxen was also named to the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List. 

ABOUT THE TIGERS
The Towson Tigers are coming off of a 20 win campaign in 2023-24, going 20-14, and finishing fifth in the CAA with a conference record of 11-7. The Tigers picked up a pair of wins in the CAA Tournament, before falling to top seeded Charleston in the conference semifinals, bringing their season to an end. Pat Skerry is the longest tenured coach in Towson Division I history, and has recorded six 20+ win seasons in his tenure, and will hope year 14 at the helm will be the first in which he can guide his team to an NCAA Tournament Berth, something Towson hasn't done since 1991. Coach Skerry will have the right pieces to achieve this goal, as he returns four starters, including leading scorer Christian May and defending CAA Rookie of the Year Tyler Tejada. May is a high volume shooting wing who had nearly half of his team high 129 field goal make come from beyond the arc. Tejada also averaged double figures for Towson last season, and demonstrated an ability to score inside and out as a 6-9 three man. Other key returners include point guard Nendah Tarke, power forward Messiah Jones, 2024 All-Rookie Team selection Dylan Williamson and reserve post Tomiwa Sulaiman. The Tigers lone starter to graduate will leave big shoes to fill, as Charles Thompson led the team last season in rebounding and blocked shots, was named both to the CAA All-Conference and All-Defensive team and now is playing overseas for the Leicester Riders of the Super League in Great Britain. One key candidate looking to fill that role will be true freshman Caleb Embeya. The 6-9 center, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, prepped at St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, Maryland, and was named both the Washington County Player of the Year and the Baltimore Catholic League Defensive Player of the Year. A season ago, the Tigers led the CAA in blocks per game, rebounding margin, offensive rebounds per game, and scoring defense. They will need big time production from Embeya if they want to maintain those numbers. Towson began their 2024-25 campaign with an exhibition against St. Johns in New York, falling to the Red Storm 64-46. Tejada was the lone double-digit scorer, dropping 12 points, while returner Messiah Jones reeled in seven rebounds. The Tigers turned the ball over 25 times in that one, to just six assists. 

DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE. 

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