MORAGA, Calif. — Closing out their season on a season-high four game winning streak, the Saint Mary's Gaels (17-14) are primed and ready for postseason play, as they head to Santa Monica for the West Coast Conference Tournament.

The Gaels will enter the two day tournament as the three seed, and will open up play at 10:30 AM tomorrow against the Portland Pilots. The Gaels have not crossed paths with the Pilots this season, who sit at 10-11 and have logged WCC victories against San Francisco and Pacific. A win would punch the Gaels ticket onto the quarterfinals, where they would take on the winner of second seeded Pepperdine or seventh seeded Pacific at noon. The Gaels have gone unbeaten against the Tigers this season, while dropping both of their meetings with the Waves. 

A loss to Portland will not eliminate the Gaels, but it makes their road a whole lot tougher, as they will have to traverse the consolation bracket unbeaten to make their way into the finals. An opening round loss would see the Gaels have to take on the loser of the Pepperdine-Pacific clash at 1:30 PM. Followed by a gauntlet of two more matches on day one just to advance to the second day. 

If the Gaels win their first match on day one, they do guarantee a spot in day two, regardless of the outcome of their second match. All of day two will be streamed on ESPN+, with the championship being played on ESPNU. LMU comes in as the favorite to win the tournament. The top seeded Lions come in with a 24-13 record and are ranked ninth in the country. 

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