MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team will return to Moraga for their home opener on Saturday as they take on Denver in a return game from last season. The Gaels were 9-7 in UCU Pavilion last season, recording their most home victories since 2019. They will look to get off to a good start at home with their second ever matchup with the Pioneers.
GAME COVERAGE
GAELS OUTLOOK
The Gaels did not get off to the ideal start Monday night against Bay Area rival Cal as they dropped the season opener 58-90. Head coach
Jeff Cammon continues to lay his foundation with the women's basketball program but did have some bright spots in the team's loss as returner
Emily Foy led the team with 13 points and seven boards. Foy was the team's most consistent scorer on the night as she finished 6-9 from the field. Senior transfer
Kennedy Johnson was also effective in her Gaels debut finishing with 12 points in 31 minutes of action.
Cammon has made it clear he wants to win the game on the defensive end and have that spark the team's offense in transition. Saint Mary's did just that in the first quarter on Monday as they closed the quarter on an 11-2 run and forced eight turnovers to make it a five-point game. Cal would break the game open though and outscore the Gaels 22-11 in the second quarter and hold Saint Mary's to just 33% shooting in the quarter. Cal lit it up from beyond the arc finishing the night 14-30 good for 47% from three compared to the Gaels 21%.
Cammon and his squad will continue to develop offensive chemistry as the season continues but they showed great moments of defensive intensity, forcing 19 turnovers in the game. They will return to Moraga for their home opener on Saturday to take on Denver in a return game from the 2023 season. The two programs met for the first time ever with Saint Mary's earning the five-point victory in Denver. They held the Pioneers to just 31% shooting and both teams will enter Saturday's matchup looking for their first win of the season.
ABOUT DENVER (Summit League)
The Denver Pioneers will head into UCU Pavilion after dropping their season opener in an upset loss to Division II member Colorado Christian. That was Denver's first loss to the Cougars since 2019 as they entered Monday's game with a four-game win streak over Colorado Christian. Denver is led by Doshia Woods in her fifth season with the program.
The Pioneers have adopted a long ball style as they ranked inside the top-30 nationally in three pointers attempted and three pointers made during the 2023-24 season. They averaged 27.4 three's per game and made over eight, however, they finished the season with only eight wins and placed 7th in the Summit League standings. Junior guard Jordan Jones was named to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. Jones started all 30 games last season averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
As a program, the Pioneers have struggled in postseason play with their last Summit League Tournament victory coming in 2014. That year they won two games before falling to South Dakota in the championship. The last time Denver played beyond the conference tournament was in 2019 where they were 17-13 overall and earned a bid for the women's NIT. They would defeat New Mexico in the first round but have their season come to an end in a 22-point defeat to Idaho.
The Pioneers have been a below .500 team in each of the last four seasons with their last winning season coming in 2019 (18-14).
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets. 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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