Friday, November 22
Honolulu, HI
3:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Eastern Washington
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
WBB | Gaels Head Tropical to Compete in Bank of Hawaii Classic
11/21/2024 9:40:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team will take a flight over the Pacific and compete in the Bank of Hawaii Classic, hosted by the University of Hawaii, for the first time in program history. They will take on Eastern Washington on Friday at 3:30 PM and then Louisana Monroe on Sunday at 2:00 PM. Reminder, all times are pacific and both games will not be streamed with live stats available at smcgaels.com.
The Gaels will take on another pair of new opponents as they have not faced Eastern Washington since 2017 and will take on the Warhawks of Louisiana Monroe for the first time in program history.
GAME COVERAGE
Saint Mary's vs. Eastern Washington
Friday, November 22nd | 3:30 PM (pacific)
Live Stats | Tickets
Saint Mary's vs. Louisiana Monroe
Sunday, November 24th | 2:00 PM (pacific)
Live Stats | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Saint Mary's concluded their Southern California road trip last weekend with a narrow 64-61 defeat to UC Irvine. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad led most of the game and held the Anteaters to just 30% shooting through the first three quarters. However, a 24-point explosion and a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch for UC Irvine would help seal the win in the fourth quarter. Foul trouble played a key role as the Anteaters were 9-11 in the final ten minutes compared to just three made free throws from the Gaels during that span.
Emily Foy connected on a massive three pointer with 38 seconds remaining to give Saint Mary's a one-point lead but the Gaels would commit a costly foul on the ensuing possession and allow the Anteaters to knockdown free throws to retake the lead. Cammon and his squad rank fifth in the WCC in opponent field goal percentage and third in opponent turnovers through their first four games as they continue to lead with defensive intensity.
On the flip side though, they lead the conference in turnovers and have turned the ball over 17+ times in each of their four games. Looking to clean some things up on the offensive side of the ball, the Gaels have plenty of ability defensively to be a dangerous team and put together a solid non-conference season.
Kennedy Johnson continues her stellar start in a Gaels uniform, averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, both top-10 marks in the WCC. Maia Jones and Emily Foy have shown their connection offensively as they are both averaging double figures on the short season. Jones and Foy will be valuable pieces on the offensive side of the ball as they are two of five returners from the 2023-24 roster.
Abigail Shoff has also flexed her athletic ability on both sides of the ball, tying Johnson for the team lead with 6.5 boards per game. Shoff broke out for 12 points and six rebounds in the team's three-point loss to Irvine but recorded a career high 11 rebounds on Thursday in their double overtime win over UC San Diego.
This marks just the fifth all-time meeting with Eastern Washington and the first ever with Louisana Monroe. The Gaels have not taken on the Eagles since 2017 but are riding a two-game win streak dating back to 2006 while the Warhawks are 3-1 on the season as the two teams will battle for the first time.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON (Big Sky)
Eastern Washington is fresh off of a historic 2023-24 season where they broke the program record for wins (29) and made their second ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Eagles put together an impressive season earning three conference award winners including the coach of the year in Joddie Gleason. After going 16-2 in Big Sky play and earning their first league title since 2010, the Eagles earned a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They would see their season come to an end though, falling to four seed Oregon State.
Despite the historic success during the 2023-24 season, Gleason was forced to rebuild after losing all five starters. As a result, the Eagles were picked to finish 8th in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches poll. They do return eight other members from last year's squad but Gleason added three transfers and five true freshmen. Of those transfers, senior guard Peyotn Howard has made a nice impact leading the team with nearly 16 PPG after transferring in from Seattle University.
This season, the Eagles are off to a tough start sitting at 1-3 with their lone win coming against NAIA member Walla Walla. Two of their three losses have come to fellow WCC members in Washington State and Portland. Despite the slow start, Eastern Washington still ranks inside the top-five in both points per game (71.0) and defensive points per game (68.3). This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Eastern Washington and Saint Mary's and the first since 2017. The all-time series is tied with two wins each, but the Gaels have won the previous two meetings by an average of 14 points.
ABOUT LOUISIANA MONROE (Sun Belt)
The Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, similar to Eastern Washington, are coming off of a very successful 2023-24 campaign after finishing 21-14 good for second place in the Sun Belt Conference and the most wins in a season since 2008. After falling in the quarters of the conference tournament to Old Dominion, they would earn a bid in the WNIT and make it to the Great 8 with wins over Grambling State and Southern Miss.
This season, the Warhawks were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll and return Jakayla Johnson and Katlyn Manuel who were both named to the Preseason All-Conference teams. Johnson averaged over 15 points last season and was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team while Manuel was the conference's Sixth Woman of the Year. All of this success came under first year head coach Missy Bilderback who took over the program after eight years at Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi.
Bilderback dominated the junior college realm in the south with seven straight 20-win seasons and seven straight trips to the NJCAA Division I Tournament. This year, she helped bring on former Mississippi State player Meloney Thames who leads the team with 14.8 PPG as she has scored in double figures in three of the team's four games. Louisiana Monroe is 3-1 to start the 2024-25 season with wins over Central Baptist, Louisiana Christian and Southern Illinois. They faced their toughest test yet last week, falling to 22nd ranked Alabama 52-75. They will have another pair of tough matchups taking on Saint Mary's and Hawaii this weekend.
Live stats 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.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels will take on another pair of new opponents as they have not faced Eastern Washington since 2017 and will take on the Warhawks of Louisiana Monroe for the first time in program history.
GAME COVERAGE
Saint Mary's vs. Eastern Washington
Friday, November 22nd | 3:30 PM (pacific)
Live Stats | Tickets
Saint Mary's vs. Louisiana Monroe
Sunday, November 24th | 2:00 PM (pacific)
Live Stats | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Saint Mary's concluded their Southern California road trip last weekend with a narrow 64-61 defeat to UC Irvine. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad led most of the game and held the Anteaters to just 30% shooting through the first three quarters. However, a 24-point explosion and a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch for UC Irvine would help seal the win in the fourth quarter. Foul trouble played a key role as the Anteaters were 9-11 in the final ten minutes compared to just three made free throws from the Gaels during that span.
Emily Foy connected on a massive three pointer with 38 seconds remaining to give Saint Mary's a one-point lead but the Gaels would commit a costly foul on the ensuing possession and allow the Anteaters to knockdown free throws to retake the lead. Cammon and his squad rank fifth in the WCC in opponent field goal percentage and third in opponent turnovers through their first four games as they continue to lead with defensive intensity.
On the flip side though, they lead the conference in turnovers and have turned the ball over 17+ times in each of their four games. Looking to clean some things up on the offensive side of the ball, the Gaels have plenty of ability defensively to be a dangerous team and put together a solid non-conference season.
Kennedy Johnson continues her stellar start in a Gaels uniform, averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, both top-10 marks in the WCC. Maia Jones and Emily Foy have shown their connection offensively as they are both averaging double figures on the short season. Jones and Foy will be valuable pieces on the offensive side of the ball as they are two of five returners from the 2023-24 roster.
Abigail Shoff has also flexed her athletic ability on both sides of the ball, tying Johnson for the team lead with 6.5 boards per game. Shoff broke out for 12 points and six rebounds in the team's three-point loss to Irvine but recorded a career high 11 rebounds on Thursday in their double overtime win over UC San Diego.
This marks just the fifth all-time meeting with Eastern Washington and the first ever with Louisana Monroe. The Gaels have not taken on the Eagles since 2017 but are riding a two-game win streak dating back to 2006 while the Warhawks are 3-1 on the season as the two teams will battle for the first time.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON (Big Sky)
Eastern Washington is fresh off of a historic 2023-24 season where they broke the program record for wins (29) and made their second ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Eagles put together an impressive season earning three conference award winners including the coach of the year in Joddie Gleason. After going 16-2 in Big Sky play and earning their first league title since 2010, the Eagles earned a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They would see their season come to an end though, falling to four seed Oregon State.
Despite the historic success during the 2023-24 season, Gleason was forced to rebuild after losing all five starters. As a result, the Eagles were picked to finish 8th in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches poll. They do return eight other members from last year's squad but Gleason added three transfers and five true freshmen. Of those transfers, senior guard Peyotn Howard has made a nice impact leading the team with nearly 16 PPG after transferring in from Seattle University.
This season, the Eagles are off to a tough start sitting at 1-3 with their lone win coming against NAIA member Walla Walla. Two of their three losses have come to fellow WCC members in Washington State and Portland. Despite the slow start, Eastern Washington still ranks inside the top-five in both points per game (71.0) and defensive points per game (68.3). This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Eastern Washington and Saint Mary's and the first since 2017. The all-time series is tied with two wins each, but the Gaels have won the previous two meetings by an average of 14 points.
ABOUT LOUISIANA MONROE (Sun Belt)
The Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, similar to Eastern Washington, are coming off of a very successful 2023-24 campaign after finishing 21-14 good for second place in the Sun Belt Conference and the most wins in a season since 2008. After falling in the quarters of the conference tournament to Old Dominion, they would earn a bid in the WNIT and make it to the Great 8 with wins over Grambling State and Southern Miss.
This season, the Warhawks were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll and return Jakayla Johnson and Katlyn Manuel who were both named to the Preseason All-Conference teams. Johnson averaged over 15 points last season and was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team while Manuel was the conference's Sixth Woman of the Year. All of this success came under first year head coach Missy Bilderback who took over the program after eight years at Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi.
Bilderback dominated the junior college realm in the south with seven straight 20-win seasons and seven straight trips to the NJCAA Division I Tournament. This year, she helped bring on former Mississippi State player Meloney Thames who leads the team with 14.8 PPG as she has scored in double figures in three of the team's four games. Louisiana Monroe is 3-1 to start the 2024-25 season with wins over Central Baptist, Louisiana Christian and Southern Illinois. They faced their toughest test yet last week, falling to 22nd ranked Alabama 52-75. They will have another pair of tough matchups taking on Saint Mary's and Hawaii this weekend.
Live stats 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.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballG
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