12th-ranked Gonzaga, 18th-ranked Saint Mary's battle for first place in WCC
Feb. 4—Pregame
Usually when these teams meet, Gonzaga is the one boasting an unblemished conference record.
Saint Mary's, unbeaten in West Coast Conference play and riding an 11-game win streak, welcomes Gonzaga to the McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, California tonight at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 WCC) have strung together three wins since losing to Loyola Marymount on Jan. 19. They coasted off an impressive first half in a 88-70 win over Santa Clara on Thursday.
The Gaels (20-4, 9-0) last slipped up in a close game to Colorado State on Dec. 18, but haven't lost since. They've won their conference games by an average margin of 17.8 points, with two wins coming by three or less points.
SMC beat San Francisco on Thursday 68-59, pulling away in the final minutes. On Jan. 28 it stunned Brigham Young, when Aidan Mahaney scored a go-ahead turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left.
Saint Mary's is a 3 1/2 -point favorite according to VegasInsider.
Team stats
Saint Mary's (20-4, 9-0)
Gonzaga (19-4, 8-1)
Points
71.3
86.4
Points allowed
57.2
73.2
Field goal pct.
46.1
52.1
Rebounds
36.7
37.3
Assists
12.7
16.6
Blocks
3.6
3.1
Steals
7.5
7.9
Streak
Won 11
Won 3
Individual leaders
POINTS
PPG
FG%
FT%
Aidan Mahaney (SMC)
14.8
45.9
74.4
Drew Timme (GU)
21.1
60.4
59.1
REBOUNDS
RPG
DRPG
ORPG
Mitchell Saxen (SMC)
8.3
5.0
3.3
Drew Timme (GU)
7.7
5.3
2.3
ASSISTS
APG
TOPG
MPG
Logan Johnson (SMC)
3.8
1.8
33.9
Nolan Hickman (GU)
3.5
1.7
28.4
Game preview
Gonzaga key matchup: Saint Mary's didn't have to look far for top scorer Aidan Mahaney
MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett has spanned the globe in recruiting and developed a fertile pipeline of players from Australia. — Read more
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