The BYU Cougars (14-9, 4-4 WCC) will try to break down one of the nation’s top scoring defenses when they host the No. 22 Saint Mary’s Gaels (18-4, 7-0 WCC) on Saturday.
Saint Mary’s dominated the Santa Clara Broncos 77-58 at University Credit Union Pavilion on Saturday, their ninth straight win. Aidan Mahaney had a standout performance with 20 points. The Gaels are first in the West Coast Conference.
BYU dropped their last game on Saturday at War Memorial Gymnasium, falling to the San Francisco Dons 82-74. Rudi Williams had 28 points in the loss, carrying the team. The Cougars are fifth in the West Coast Conference.
This marks the only meeting of the season between the teams. Saint Mary’s and BYU split their matchups last season, each team winning one game. The Gaels took the last meeting 69-64 at University Credit Union Pavilion in February 2022. Tommy Kuhse led the Gaels with 25 points.
Alex Barcello had 22 points in the losing effort. Mahaney is averaging 15.0 points per game to lead the Gaels in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Mitchell Saxen is grabbing 8.1 rebounds per game, and Logan Johnson is dishing 3.9 assists.
Williams (12.8 ppg), Fousseyni Traore (12.4), and Gideon George (11.4) have been the primary providers for the Cougars on offense. Traore also has collected 7.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Dallin Hall has distributed 3.3 assists per game.
The Gaels are holding opponents to 57.2 points per game, ranking as one of the best scoring defenses in the NCAA (5th). The Gaels have come up short more often than not in recent visits to Marriott Center, losing seven of the last 10.
In the last 10 games, Saint Mary’s is 9-1 with an average margin of +18.1 (75.1-57.0). BYU has a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 73.5 points per game on average while allowing 65.8 (+7.7 margin).
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Harry Wessels: 7.8 | 5.8 | +2.0
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 15.8 | 12.1 | +3.7
Assists per game:
Kyle Bowen: 2.6 | 2.0 | +0.6
COUGARS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Noah Waterman: 4.0 | 9.4 | -5.4
Points per game:
Spencer Johnson: 12.4 | 9.3 | +3.1
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Saint Marys -6.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
