MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's returns to UCU Pavilion this Saturday to take on UC Riverside at 2:00 PM. The Gaels had a successful showing in the Bank of Hawaii Classic last weekend as they came away with a pair of wins over Eastern Washington and Louisiana Monroe to improve to 4-2 on the season. Their offensive continuity has continued to improve as they shot a combined 48% from the field and held their opponents to under 40% in each of their two games. 

GAME COVERAGE

Saint Mary's vs. UC Riverside
Saturday, November 30th | 2:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

As a team, the Gaels are starting to find their identity six games into the season. Head coach Jeff Cammon and his squad are starting to settle in defensively as they've held their opponents to under 40% shooting in each of their last five games. They've also forced 15+ turnovers in four of their six games and have a 4-1 record when they achieve that statistic. 

Offensively, Saint Mary's won in two very different ways last weekend in Hawaii as they did not have one player in double figures in their win over Eastern Washington. The Gaels bench outscored the Eagles 32-19 in the game as seven different players had five-plus points in the 59-57 victory. 

Then against Louisiana Monroe, Saint Mary's had three players in double figures with second year guard Maia Jones leading all players with 19 points. Jones was 7-12 from the field and hit five three pointers, good for second most in her career. Behind Jones was fellow returner Emily Foy who has emerged as one of the team's best perimeter shooters. Foy scored a season high 16 points and was also 4-5 from beyond the arc. Head coach Jeff Cammon continues to reap the benefits of senior transfer Kennedy Johnson who had eleven points and a team high six rebounds in their win over ULM. Johnson has been in double figures in five of her six games this season and leads the team with six boards a game. 

Saint Mary's ranks inside the top-five of the conference in field goal percentage (47%) and three-point shooting (35%) as they will seek their third straight win in non-conference play. Saint Mary's has not taken on UC Riverside since 2005 as they lost that matchup by ten. They are 1-1 in the series history and the Highlanders are off to a 2-5 start this season. 

ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE (Big West)

UC Riverside has gotten off to a tough start this season, entering Saturday's matchup with a 2-5 record. The Highlanders have suffered defeats to fellow WCC programs in Santa Clara and Pepperdine while also falling to Fresno State, Boise State and Idaho. Their two wins this season came against non-division I opponents in Whittier College and most recently Cal State San Marcos. 

The Highlanders are led by first year head coach Brad Langston who was officially hired back in September. Langston has been with UC Riverside as an assistant since 2020 and after turning around their season in 2024, the interim tag would be lifted heading into this season. He led the program to a remarkable 12-game turnaround – the best in program history. After being predicted to finish 10th in the Big West preseason poll, the team finished third with the season culminating in a Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) berth, the team's first since 2015-16.   

This season, the Highlanders were picked to finish eighth in the Big West preseason poll and will seek their first conference tournament title since 2010. As a team, Riverside is only shooting 36% from the field and 32% from three with an average margin of defeat of eleven points. The team's lone double digit scorer is junior guard Shelley Duchemin who averages over eleven points per game. 

With the Highlanders scoring under 60 points in each of their last five games, Saint Mary's will look to continue their defensive efficiency and turn the ball over to get out in transition against a team that gives up over 15 turnover per game. 

Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and you can stream the game live on ESPN+. 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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