MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's turned in a stout defensive performance last Saturday to end their four-game skid as they took down San Francisco 52-49. The Gaels held the Dons to just 29% shooting and overcame a ten-point deficit from the second quarter. USF was just 1-for-14 from the field in the fourth quarter and Zeryhia Aokuso scooped up a loose ball for USF's fifth turnover of the quarter to help ice the game. 

Saint Mary's improved to 8-6 in WCC play and now sit alone in fifth place, just two games out of the top-three. They will look for revenge against Portland on Thursday after nearly pulling off the 14-point comeback at their place last month. Then, they will head south to finish the weekend on the road against Pepperdine looking for the regular season sweep and their sixth consecutive win over the Waves dating back to 2023. 

GAME COVERAGE

WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Portland | Moraga, Calif.
UCU Pavilion | Thursday, February 13th | 6:30 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

WBB | Saint Mary's at Pepperdine | Malibu, Calif.
Firestone Fieldhouse | Saturday, February 15th | 1:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

GAELS OUTLOOK

Kennedy Johnson Hits Career Marks…

Senior guard Kennedy Johnson was the Gaels best two-way player last weekend and hit career marks in assists and steals. Johnson led the team with 16 points and a career high five steals in their eleven-point defeat to top seed Gonzaga. She then recorded eleven points and a career high seven assists in the team's three-point win over San Francisco. 

Johnson has been the team's best two-way player for the Gaels this season averaging over 12 points and nearly six boards a game. Johnson has record-ed seven games this season scoring 15+ points and 13 games with 5+ rebounds.

Defense Prevails Against the Dons…

The Gaels entered Saturday's game with San Francisco on a four-game losing streak and their defense had struggled during that stretch, allowing their opponents to shoot a combined 46% from the field. They got back to their stout defensive ways holding the Dons to just 29% from the field and forced a turnover on the final possession to ice the game and secure the 52-49 victory. 

USF made just one shot in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over five times. The Gaels now rank fourth in the WCC allowing just 64.1 points per game and third in opponent turnovers forcing over 17 per game. 

Rematch with the Pilots…

Saint Mary's will get another crack at the Portland Pilots who sit in second place in the WCC at 
10-3. The Pilots fended off a surging Gaels team that came all the way back from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 54 in the fourth quarter. The offense would dry up though over the course of the final six minutes as Saint Mary's finished the game just 1-for-11 from the field to eventually fall 66-58. 

The Gaels defense held one of the best offensive teams in the conference to just 66 points on 39% shooting. Saint Mary's will look for their first home win over Portland since 2019 and continue to climb the conference standings as they currently sit alone in fifth place.

Around the League…

Gonzaga has now won eleven straight games and sits in first place in the WCC at 12-2. They hold a one-game lead over Portland who is 10-3 and riding a five-game win streak. Washington State ended last week with an overtime loss to Gonzaga but are in third place at 10-5. 

Oregon State continues to surge as well, winning four straight games. The Beavers have jumped four spots over the course of their win streak and are now in fourth place at 9-6. Saint Mary's ended their four-game skid with a win over USF to improve to 8-6 and are alone in fifth place. Pacific, San Francisco and Santa Clara all sit within a game of each other in spots 6-8.   

ABOUT THE PILOTS…

Portland kicked off a busy week of conference play with an overtime road win over Pepperdine on Monday. The Pilots have three games this week due to the LA wildfires. Following Pepperdine on Monday, they will head north to take on Saint Mary's and then return home to finish the weekend against Washington State. 

Pepperdine gave Portland a scare Monday afternoon as they led over the Pilots for the majority of the game and made a layup in the closing seconds to force overtime. Both teams went toe-to-toe in overtime but Portland would get back-to-back stops in the final two minutes to take a five-point lead. The Waves hit a three at the buzzer to fall 75-77 in a strong effort against one of the top teams in the WCC. 

Portland extended their win streak to six games and are just a game back of Gonzaga for the top spot. The week only gets tougher for the Pilots as they face off against Saint Mary's and Washington State, two teams in the top five of the WCC. Portland ranks as the best offensive and defensive team in the conference. 

They took down the Gaels at home two weeks ago after nearly blowing a 14-point first half lead. The Gaels had defensive success holding Portland to just 66 points on 39% shooting in their first meeting and will need more of the same as they look to even up the regular season series. Portland has now won ten of their last eleven meetings with Saint Mary's dating back to 2020. The Gaels will seek their first home win over the Pilots since 2019. 

ABOUT THE WAVES…

Pepperdine has not had the year they were maybe hoping for as they enter this week with a 3-12 WCC record and an 8-16 overall record. The Waves nearly ended a four-game skid Monday afternoon as they took Portland to overtime but eventually fell 75-77. Pepperdine led for the majority of the game and even connected on the game tying layup with seconds remaining to force OT. Their five-game losing streak features defeats to Oregon State, San Francisco, Pacific and twice to Portland. 

As a team, Pepperdine ranks dead last in offensive and defensive points per game. Some of their bright spots include taking care of the basketball, ranking fifth in fewest turnovers per game, as well as defending the perimeter as they hold their opponents to just 29% from beyond the arc. Offensively, they are led by freshman guard Chloe Sotell who averages over ten points per game and leads the Waves in made three pointers with 49 on the season. Four other Waves average seven or more points on the season to give them a balanced scoring attack. 

Pepperdine has lost five straight games to Saint Mary's dating back to 2023 and will look for their first home win over the Gaels since 2022. Saint Mary's will look to complete the regular season sweep over Pepperdine after taking down the Waves at home back in January 56-41. The Gaels are 29-18 against the Waves dating back to 2002. 

Tip-off for Thursday's game against Portland is scheduled for 6:30 PM and the Gaels will head south to take on Pepperdine at 1:00 PM on Saturday, February 15th. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.  

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