WBB | WCC Action Kicks Off in Moraga, Saint Mary’s to Host Portland and Oregon State

Sunday, December 28

Moraga, CA

2:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

Portland

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Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

WBB | WCC Action Kicks Off in Moraga, Saint Mary’s to Host Portland and Oregon State

12/26/2025 10:18:00 AM | Women's Basketball

MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's women's basketball has won four consecutive games for the second time this season and will take a 9-4 record into the start of conference play as they host Portland on Sunday, December 28th followed by Oregon State on the 30th. The Gaels consist of a balanced offense and a stifling defense that leads the WCC, allowing just 56.5 points per game.

After an 11-point victory over New Mexico State on December 20th, the Gaels secured their ninth non-conference win for the most since 2013 when they went 10-1 in non-conference play. The Gaels started WCC play 4-0 a season ago but will be faced with a tough test in week one, hosting two teams that finished inside the top-four including the 2025 regular season champs in Portland and the eventual conference tournament champions in Oregon State. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 PM on Sunday against the Pilots and then 5:00 PM Tuesday night against the Beavers.

GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION

WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Portland | UCU Pavilion
Moraga, Calif. | December 28th | 2:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Oregon State | UCU Pavilion
Moraga, Calif. | December 30th | 5:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

Gaels Enter WCC Play on 4-Game Win Streak…

For the second time this season, Saint Mary's has rattled off four straight wins. They improved to 9-4 to end their non-conference slate after an 11-point win over New Mexico State. Over their four-game win streak, the Gaels have shot 47% from the field, 35% from three and 71% from the free throw line. They did record 20+ turnovers in two of the four games but were able to record double-digit steals in two of the four and hold their opponent under 60 points in all four contests.

Reigning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year Emily Foy has led the Gaels with 11.0 points per game during this stretch, shooting 45% from the field. Close behind her is redshirt junior Addi Wedin who is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 67% from beyond the arc. Six total players are averaging over five points during their four-game win streak while seven players are hitting that mark for the entire 2025-26 season.

9 Non-Conference Wins, Most Since 2013…

Saint Mary's wrapped up non-conference play on Saturday, December 20th with a convincing win over New Mexico State, 70-59, improving to 9-4 overall. Their nine non-conference wins are the most since 2013 when the Gaels started WCC play with a 10-1 non-conference record. They went on to finish that season with 23 wins and a trip to the 2014 WNIT.

Head coach Jeff Cammon continues to take strides in his third year leading the program, securing the most non-conference wins in over a decade and making his coaching style known leading the WCC in defense allowing just 56.5 points per game. Cammon's next goal, winning his first WCC Tournament game and the program's first since knocking off LMU in the first round back in 2023.

Gaels on Top, WCC's Best Defense at 56.5 PPG…

Entering WCC play, Saint Mary's leads the conference allowing just 56.5 points per game as they prove to be a tough test for every offense they face. Along with points per game, the Gaels rank second in total steals, fourth in forced turnovers per game and second in opponent three-point percentage.

Individually, sophomore forward Edie Clarke ranks sixth with 15 blocks and is tied for the conference lead with 35 steals. Clarke is a popular face for opponents at the top of the Gaels' 1-3-1 zone defense which head coach Jeff Cammon will use sporadically throughout the game. As a team, Saint Mary's has held opponents to under 60 points nine times this season and they'll be put to the test again in week one of WCC play with the likes of Portland and Oregon State.

Series History…

Saint Mary's owns a 26-16 record over Portland dating back to 2002 but in recent history, it's been all Pilots as they have won eleven of their last twelve meetings dating back to 2020. The last win for Saint Mary's came in a wild 73-67 overtime contest back in 2024. The Gaels will look for their first home win over the Pilots since 2019.

Saint Mary's capped off the 2024-25 conference season with a thrilling 20-point comeback win over the Beavers a season ago. Their win over Oregon State was the first since 2011 but the Beavers made up for the loss by running the table and winning the WCC Tournament Championship. Oregon State was picked to win the WCC in this year's preseason poll, receiving nine first place votes as they'll embark on their final season as members of the West Coast Conference.

ABOUT THE PILOTS (6-6, 0-0 WCC)

After being picked to finish fourth in the 2025 WCC preseason poll, the Portland Pilots will head to Moraga with a 6-6 non-conference record. Portland won the 2025 WCC Regular Season title before falling in the second round of the conference tournament to Oregon State. The Pilots won a program record 31 games last season but have seen their fair share of struggles to start the 2025-26 season.

The Pilots have not won more than two games in a row and are 2-2 over their last four contests with wins over Long Beach State and Portland State. Despite the early struggles, Portland still ranks second in the WCC averaging 73.8 points per game while shooting 45% from the field. The Pilots allow 62.5 points and also lead the WCC, forcing 21.1 turnovers per game.

In similar fashion, Portland has just one double-digit scorer while eight other players are averaging over five points per game. Dyani Ananiev leads the team with 10.5 points per game and is the team's top three-point shooter, hitting a team high 19 three's at 36%.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS (8-5, 0-0 WCC)

Oregon State will have a chance to put together a stellar two-year run in the WCC after winning the conference tournament in 2025. The Beavers were picked to finish first with nine first place votes this season and enter week one of conference play with an 8-5 record. Kennedie Shuler, Catarina Ferreira and Tiara Bolden were also selected to the WCC All-Preseason team for the most preseason selections of any WCC school.

The 2025-26 season got off to a hot start for the Beavers as they won their first four games including key wins over BigTen member Illinois and Mountain West foe Utah State. The Beavers also got to compete in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands but fell to Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech in a pair of power four battles. After dropping three of four games, Oregon State got back in the win column against Liberty with a 64-57 victory to wrap up their non-conference schedule. The Beavers will take on San Francisco on Sunday, December 28th before heading to Moraga for their Tuesday night matchup.

Tiara Bolden leads the team averaging over 14 points per game while Jenna Villa is averaging 13.3 points after transferring in from Washington State. Kennedie Shuler is averaging under ten points to start the season but ranks second in the WCC with over five assists per game, leading the Beavers with 69 total assists through 13 games.

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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