WBB | Gaels Head South for First WCC Road Trip Against Pepperdine and San Diego

Friday, January 2

Malibu, CA

6:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

Pepperdine

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WBB | Gaels Head South for First WCC Road Trip Against Pepperdine and San Diego

12/31/2025 2:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's will head to Southern California for their first two road conference games, taking on Pepperdine on Friday, January 2nd followed by San Diego on Sunday, January 4th. Despite leading for a combined 50 minutes and 32 seconds, the Gaels ended week one of WCC action winless with defeats to Portland and Oregon State. They'll look to turn solid stretches of play into wins this week as Saint Mary's owns a combined record of 7-1 over the Waves and Toreros over the past two seasons.

GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION

WBB | Saint Mary's at Pepperdine | Firestone Fieldhouse
Malibu, Calif. | January 2nd | 6:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

WBB | Saint Mary's at San Diego | Jenny Craig Pavilion
San Diego, Calif. | January 4th | 2:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

Gaels Start WCC Play Winless; Defeats to Portland and Oregon State…

For the first time since the 2020-21 season, Saint Mary's has started conference play 0-2 after suffering close defeats to Portland and Oregon State. On paper, the Gaels got no help as they kicked off the conference season with matchups against both the regular season and conference tournament champions from 2025, but they proved more than ready for the test, leading the majority of the time in both games. The Gaels held the Pilots and the Beavers to 63 points but experienced streaky shooting, finishing 39% from the field in both contests.

Saint Mary's held leads in both games going into the fourth quarter, but the final ten minutes have proven to be pivotal ones throughout the 2025-26 season thus far. In five of their six losses this season, the Gaels have been tied or led going into the fourth quarter including the likes of power four opponents Cal and Oregon. Saint Mary's will see Portland again on January 29th but Tuesday would be the lone regular season matchup with Oregon State thanks to the addition of Seattle U into the conference.

Foy and Shoff Combine for 29 Points vs. Beavers…

For the eighth time this season, Saint Mary's had two players finish with double figures as Emily Foy and Abigail Shoff combined for 29 points in their 57-63 defeat to Oregon State Tuesday night. Foy made her eighth start of the season and was just one point shy of her season high, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Foy has been ultra efficient with her mid-range game, and she has also been getting plenty of looks in the low post, creating mismatches defensively with her 6-1 frame.

Another mid-range specialist, Abigail Shoff, has been heating up as of late for the Gaels as she came off the bench and matched her season high with 14 points. Shoff has now scored 14 points in two of her last three games and gives head coach Jeff Cammon plenty of versatility off the bench. Shoff was an efficient 6-for-10 from the field and led the team with 32 minutes of action off the bench. Without a single player averaging double figures on the season, Saint Mary's has shown that any player on any given night can lead the way offensively, giving the Gaels plenty of scoring depth and versatility in the starting lineup and from their bench.

Trends Through Two Conference Games…

All season long, Saint Mary's has shown they can compete with anybody on any given night. The Gaels entered the fourth quarter with the game tied against power four foes Cal and Oregon and have held leads going into the final period in three of their four other defeats against North Texas, Portland and most recently Oregon State. In the fourth quarter combined in all six losses this season, Saint Mary's is shooting just 27.3% from the field. The Gaels are putting together large chunks of quality basketball on both ends of the floor but are missing some pieces in the fourth quarter that's deciding pivotal games.

Over the first two conference games, the Gaels have led for over 50 minutes combined and have held both opponents under their season average. However, for the first time this season, Saint Mary's has shot under 40% from the field in back-to-back games. Another big plus for the Gaels comes in the turnover department, averaging just 14 turnovers over the two games for their second lowest average over a two-game span this season. The Gaels will take plenty of positives after the first week of conference play knowing they can compete with the top teams. They'll look for their first two WCC wins against Pepperdine and San Diego to start the New Year.

Series History…

Saint Mary's has dominated the series history with Pepperdine, holding a 30-18 record dating back to the 2001-02 season. The Gaels are riding a six-game win streak over the Waves dating back to 2023, but this year's matchup will be a highly anticipated one as Pepperdine is off to their best start in 45 years, entering Friday with a 9-5 record. The Waves went into conference play with a record of 9-3 before falling to Washington State and Gonzaga to start WCC play.

Saint Mary's is 28-16 dating back to 2002 over San Diego and has recent success over the Toreros, winning three of their last four games. San Diego's last home win over Saint Mary's came in 2024 after a dominant 69-52 victory. Despite the success, Saint Mary's has not won three consecutive games over San Diego since 2019. They'll have a chance to match that streak on Sunday afternoon after sweeping the season series last year.

ABOUT THE WAVES (9-5, 0-2)

Pepperdine quite literally made waves to start their 2025-26 season, finishing their non-conference schedule with a 9-3 record for their best start in 45 years. Pepperdine did drop back-to-back games to start WCC play, losing to Washington State and Gonzaga, but shoot 44% from the field and average nearly 70 points per game to stand as a dangerous team night in and night out.

Offensively, the Waves are led by a pair of double-digit scorers in Elli Guiney and Meghan Fiso. Guiney transferred in from UNLV and has been putting up career numbers, averaging 14.1 points on 46% shooting and 40% from three-point range. Her counterpart, Fiso, averages 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Pepperdine has been efficient offensively, but they are also one of the top rebounding teams in the conference thanks to Shorna Preston who ranks second in the WCC with 9.3 rebounds per game.

ABOUT THE TOREROS (6-9, 0-2)

San Diego has had an up and down start to their 2025-26 season, entering week two of conference play with a 6-9 overall record and are winless in WCC play. The Toreros suffered road defeats last week to Santa Clara and Pacific but will return to Jenny Craig for their first home conference games against San Francisco and Saint Mary's.

Similar styles will clash Sunday afternoon as both Saint Mary's and San Diego rank in the top three in defense but the bottom three in offense, both averaging fewer than 60 points per game. Kylie Ray is averaging 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Toreros after transferring in from Utah. Despite the loss to Pacific, Ray played all 40 minutes and finished with a game high 29 points. Senior guard Hallie Rhodes is also in double figures for USD, averaging 10.1 points on 40% shooting. Both teams will enter the week seeking their first conference win of the 2025-26 season.

Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com and you can stream both games 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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