The No. 15 Saint Mary’s Gaels (21-4, 10-0 WCC), one of the nation’s top scoring defenses, are on the road to face the Loyola Marymount Lions (16-9, 6-5 WCC) on Thursday. Saint Mary’s topped the Gonzaga Bulldogs 78-70 in overtime at University Credit Union Pavilion on Saturday, their 12th consecutive win.
Aidan Mahaney was the scoring leader with 18 points. Mitchell Saxen chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Gaels remain first in the West Coast Conference.
Loyola Marymount fell short on Saturday at Jenny Craig Pavilion, falling to the San Diego Toreros 87-79. Cam Shelton had 25 points and seven rebounds in the loss, leading the team.
The Lions remain fourth in the West Coast Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After taking the only prior season meeting against Loyola Marymount 76-62 at University Credit Union Pavilion on January 12, their 21st straight head-to-head victory, Saint Mary’s will be aiming for a season sweep.
Mahaney led the Gaels with 25 points, while Logan Johnson contributed 19 points and six rebounds. Shelton had 18 points in the loss.The Gaels have been led this season by Mahaney, who is averaging 15.0 points per game.
Meanwhile, Saxen is grabbing 8.4 rebounds per game, and Johnson is dishing 3.7 assists. Shelton has supplied much of the Lions’ offense, averaging 19.3 points per game. Shelton also has doled out 4.4 assists per game.
Keli Leaupepe has averaged 6.8 rebounds per game. Holding opponents to 57.7 points per game, the Gaels are one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the country (4th).
The Gaels have felt at home at Albert Gersten Pavilion in recent seasons, undefeated in the last 10 trips. In the last 10 games, Saint Mary’s is 10-0 with an average margin of +16.2 (74.3-58.1). Loyola Marymount has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 74.2 points per game on average while scoring only 73.7 (-0.5 margin).
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Augustas Marciulionis: 8.0 | 6.2 | +1.8
Assists per game:
Kyle Bowen: 1.4 | 1.9 | -0.5
LIONS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Michael Graham: 16.2 | 11.0 | +5.2
Alex Merkviladze: 5.3 | 11.8 | -6.5
Points per game:
Alex Merkviladze: 3.7 | 6.9 | -3.2
Rebounds per game:
Michael Graham: 8.8 | 5.6 | +3.2
Assists per game:
Jalin Anderson: 1.2 | 2.3 | -1.1
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Saint Marys -7.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
