MORAGA, Calif. - After picking up their first win of the season over Denver on Saturday, Saint Mary's will hit the road for two weeks and head to Southern California to take on UC San Diego and UC Irvine. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad hosted these two teams last season and picked up a pair of wins in UCU Pavilion. The Gaels are a combined 3-0 over the Tritons and Anteaters dating back to 2020. This year they will return the favor and head south, looking for their first road victories of the season.  

Saint Mary's vs. UC San Diego
Thursday, November 14th | 11:00 AM
Lion Tree Arena | La Jolla, Calif.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

Saint Mary's vs. UC Irvine
Saturday, November 16th | 2:00 PM
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

The Gaels picked up their first win of the season last Saturday over Denver, 69-64. It was just their second all-time meeting as the two programs met for the first time last season in Denver with head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad coming away with the five-point road victory. Saint Mary's is now 1-1 on the season and will have their first true road trip of the year as they take on UC San Diego and UC Irvine, also return games from the 2023-24 season. 

Out of the new faces on this year's squad, senior transfer Kennedy Johnson has had a big impact in her first two games as a Gael. The Idaho transfer has led the team in scoring in each of their two games, averaging 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Long Beach State transfer Abigail Shoff broke out for her first double-digit game of the season with 12 points and a game high six boards in the team's five-point win over Denver. 

Notable returners off to a good start include Emily Foy and Maia Jones. Foy started in both games for the Gaels and leads the team with over 30 minutes a game. Jones showcased her all-around skill against Denver, finishing with an impressive line of 13 points and a career high eight assists. Jones was named to the WCC All-Freshman team in 2024 and will look to be a big part of the team's success this season.

Cammon and his squad flexed their defensive efficiency in their win over Denver, holding the Pioneers to just 25% shooting from three and forcing 15 turnovers. Last season, the Gaels held their opponents to under 30% from three eleven different times with the latest one coming in a dominant 69-48 victory over Pepperdine just before the conference tournament. They also rank fourth in the WCC in opponent turnovers, forcing 34 turnovers through their first two games.  

Saint Mary's is a combined 4-1 in their series history with UC San Diego and UC Irvine. They took on the Tritons for the first time in program history and battled the Anteaters for just the fourth time last season. Cammon and his squad swept the two games last year but will take on both programs on the road this weekend, seeking their first road victories of the season.  

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO (Big West)

The Tritons have completed their mandatory four-year NCAA Division I reclassification period and are now fully eligible for Big West and NCAA postseason competition.

UC San Diego returns 12 Tritons from the 2023-24 squad, including starters Gracie Gallegos, Parker Montgomery and Sumayah Sugapong. Sugapong was named Big West Freshman of the Year and All-Big West Honorable Mention a season ago, recognized alongside Gallegos on the All-Freshman Team. 

Freshman guard/forward Nicki Polocheck is headed to La Jolla after a successful prep career at Memorial Senior High School (Houston, Texas). UC San Diego also added two talented transfers, junior Sabrina Ma (San Jose State) and senior Kayanna Spriggs (CSUN). 

UC San Diego enters the contest with a 1-2 record, winning their first game of the season over Division III member Occidental before falling to Sacramento State and Arizona. The Tritons were picked to finish sixth in the Big West preseason poll and will seek their first postseason appearance in the conference tournament in March. 

Through three games, Kayanna Spriggs leads the team with just under ten points and seven rebounds per game. The Tritons are led by head coach Heidi VanDerveer in her 13th season. VanDerveer has coached the Tritons to five NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), five conference championships (2016-2020) and three conference tournament titles (2013, 2019, 2020) as they dominated one of the best Division II conferences in the country before making the jump to Division I in 2020. 

ABOUT UC IRVINE (Big West)

The Anteaters are on a historic run in program history, recording their third straight 20+ win season in 2024. They captured the Big West Tournament title for their second in program history and first since 1995. They would fall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to WCC member Gonzaga to end their postseason run, but their NCAA appearance was the first in nearly 30 years. This year, UC Irvine was picked to finish second right behind Hawaii in the Big West preseason poll as they start their quest for their third conference tournament title. 

UCI welcomes back nine players from that squad and returns over 55% of their scoring, assists and steals. Senior Déja Lee was UCI women's basketball's first Big West Player of the Year in 2023-24. She was also the Big West Championship MVP and is a two-time all-conference selection. Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game over the last three seasons with 74 career starts. Tom garnered All-Big West honors as a sophomore.

The Anteaters bring in seven newcomers to give Inoue a 16-player roster for the first time in her ninth year at UCI. Four of those newcomers are transfers including 2023-24 Big Sky Freshman of the Year Summah Hanson (Sacramento State) and redshirt freshman Daniela Falcón Hernández (Utah). They also welcome junior college transfers Jaida Brooks and Ines Gnahore.

Irvine opened up the season with a home defeat to New Mexico State but bounced back with a win over WCC member Pepperdine, 65-56. The Anteaters have three double digit scorers early in the season with Summah Hanson leading the way averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds.  

Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and ticket links can be found at smcgaels.com. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information. 

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