The BYU Cougars (16-13, 6-8 WCC) will try to break down one of the country’s top scoring defenses when they head to face the No. 17 Saint Mary’s Gaels (23-5, 12-1 WCC) on Saturday. BYU lost to the Santa Clara Broncos 81-74 at Marriott Center on Thursday, their third loss in a row.
Rudi Williams had a standout performance in defeat with 20 points. The Cougars fell to seventh in the West Coast Conference. Saint Mary’s won a close one on Thursday at Jenny Craig Pavilion, beating the San Diego Toreros 62-59. Mitchell Saxen had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to lead the team.
The Gaels remain first in the West Coast Conference. This marks the final meeting of the season between the teams. Saint Mary’s will be pursuing a season sweep against BYU after winning the only earlier matchup 57-56 at Marriott Center on January 28. Dallin Hall topped all players in scoring with 23 points in the losing effort.
Logan Johnson had 14 points for the Gaels. Fousseyni Traore and Williams, averaging 12.9 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, have led the Cougars in scoring this season. Traore also has grabbed 7.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Hall is dishing 3.3 assists per game.
Aidan Mahaney and Johnson have been the primary providers for the Gaels on offense, averaging 15.0 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Johnson also has tallied 3.6 assists per game. Saxen has posted 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Gaels rank as one of the best scoring defenses in the country, fourth-best with 58.7 points per game allowed. The Cougars are only 2-8 in their last 10 trips to University Credit Union Pavilion.
In the last 10 games, BYU is 3-7 with an average margin of +1.0 (77.6-76.6). For the season, the Cougars are averaging 75.6 points per game, compared to 70.1 for opponents. Saint Mary’s has gone 9-1 over the last 10, scoring 72.4 points per game on average while allowing 61.1 (+11.3 margin).
COUGARS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Noah Waterman: 5.6 | 8.4 | -2.8
Assists per game:
Rudi Williams: 1.8 | 2.8 | -1.0
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Luke Barrett: 0.8 | 4.4 | -3.7
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 18.4 | 13.3 | +5.1
Assists per game:
Aidan Mahaney: 3.0 | 2.1 | +0.9
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Saint Mary’s -10.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
