MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's has won two straight following their two-game skid earlier this month and will look for their seventh conference victory in a road matchup against San Diego Thursday night. They will return to Moraga Saturday to host Santa Clara for their final matchup of the regular season after taking down the Broncos in overtime to start WCC play back in December. 

The Gaels handled Pepperdine by 15 points last week but only had one game on the schedule while Gonzaga and Washington State went a combined 4-0 to take a game lead in the conference standings. Saint Mary's will look to keep pace with the Zags and Cougars and complete the season sweep over the Toreros and Broncos this week. 

GAME COVERAGE

WBB | Saint Mary's at San Diego | San Diego, Calif.
Jenny Craig Pavilion | Thursday, January 23rd | 6:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Santa Clara| Moraga, Calif.
UCU Pavilion | Saturday, January 25th | 5:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

Johnson Records 6th Game with 15+ Points…

Kennedy Johnson had gone three straight games under the 15-point mark but broke out of that slump last Thursday with a game high 15 points, four rebounds and four steals. Her four steals matched her career high and this went down as her sixth game with 15+ points on the season. Johnson also splashed in three triples finishing 3-5 from beyond the arc. 

As a result she was named this week's Shamrock Office Solutions Student-Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. The Gaels are 5-1 when Johnson scores 15 or more points as she leads the team averaging 13 points and five boards a game.  

Sharing the Rock…

Another influential statistic during the 2024-25 season for the Gaels comes with sharing the ball. When Saint Mary's has recorded 15+ assists as a team this season they are 7-3. With Zeryhia Aokuso returning to the starting lineup, the Gaels have several playmakers and facilitators on the floor including Maia Jones, Jada Hunter and Kennedy Johnson. 

Saint Mary's ranks fourth in the conference with 14.9 assists per game and since the start of conference play, Aokuso leads the WCC with nearly six assists per game (5.9). The Gaels have five different players with at least 25 assists on the season making them a dangerous team when they share the ball and spread the defense out. 

Looking for the Sweep…

Saint Mary's won their previous matchups against both San Diego and Santa Clara and will have a chance at the regular season sweep this week. The Gaels have not swept the regular season series with San Diego since 2022 but they did record a season high 85 points in their 10-point win over the Toreros back in December. 

With the Broncos, Saint Mary's will seek their first regular season sweep in two years when they won both matchups during the 2022-23 season. The two teams kicked off conference play in early December when the Gaels came from behind to win in overtime, 64-56. They outscored Santa Clara 11-3 in OT and Kennedy Johnson had 25 points including the game tying three to force overtime. The Gaels have won six of their last seven games with the Broncos dating back to 2022. 

ABOUT THE TOREROS (WCC)

San Diego enters Thursday's game on an 8-game losing streak dating back to mid-December. Their last win came in non-conference play against Northridge but the Toreros are 0-8 in WCC play. USD has had some close finishes in recent weeks as both of their previous two losses were decided by one possession, losing by two points to Pepperdine and three points to LMU. 

Both teams contributed to a high scoring affair in their last meeting with San Diego putting up 75 points, but Saint Mary's has returned to their stout defensive ways in recent weeks as they've allowed fewer than 50 points in each of their last two games. Despite their 0-8 conference start, San Diego is a top-five defense in the league and a top-three rebounding team, making for low scoring affairs. Defense was rather optional though in their previous meeting as the Gaels scored a season high 85 points on 61% shooting. The Toreros will need to slow down the Gaels offense and win the glass in order to keep things close at Jenny Craig Pavilion Thursday night. 

San Diego is led by three double digit scorers including senior guard Kylie Horstmeyer who leads the team with 11.5 points per game. Ava Ranson and Truitt Reilly also average over ten points as all three players have started every game this season for the Toreros. Horstmeyer and Ranson combined for 36 points last time out against the Gaels so no shocker that those two will be heavily featured in the Gaels scouting report. 

The Toreros have some history on their side though as they have not lost back-to-back games to Saint Mary's since 2022. In their last five games USD owns a 3-2 record and are undefeated at home in their last two games against the Gaels.   

ABOUT THE BRONCOS (WCC)

Santa Clara will take on LMU Thursday evening before heading up to Moraga on Saturday for the final regular season matchup with the Gaels of the season. The Broncos enter the week with a conference record of 3-7 with wins over Pepperdine, Washington State and San Diego. Despite their road upset over the Cougars at the beginning of the month, Santa Clara has gone on to lose four of their next five games including the rematch with Washington State, 47-74. 

The Broncos rank 7th in the WCC in opponents points per game (65.6), but lead the conference in opponents field goal and three-point percentage, forcing teams to beat them on the interior. The Broncos have surrendered 70+ points in each of their last four defeats and they'll have to stop a top-three perimeter shooting team in Saint Mary's to have a chance at splitting their regular season series. 

Santa Clara is led by senior forward Olivia Pollerd who is averaging over 16 points per game good for fourth most in the WCC. Pollard has recorded six games with 20+ points on the season and the Broncos are 4-2 in those games. It is no mystery that her success has a positive effect on the team's ability to win games. 

The Broncos will look for some revenge after dropping the first matchup of the season with the Gaels, surrendering an early nine-point lead and getting outscored 11-3 in overtime. Santa Clara has lost six of their last seven meetings dating back to 2022 and the last time they won in Moraga was in 2021.    

Tip-off with San Diego is scheduled for 6:00 PM Thursday evening and then Saint Mary's will host Santa Clara at 5:00 PM on Saturday in UCU Pavilion. Stream both games on ESPN+ and get your tickets online at smcgaels/com/tickets. 

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