The No. 18 Saint Mary’s Gaels (19-4, 8-0 WCC), one of the NCAA’s top scoring defenses, play host to the San Francisco Dons (15-9, 4-5 WCC) on Thursday.
San Francisco defeated the San Diego Toreros 94-81 at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday, their third consecutive win. Khalil Shabazz was the key player with 26 points. The Dons remain seventh in the West Coast Conference.
Saint Mary’s won their 10th in a row in a close one on Saturday at Marriott Center, beating the BYU Cougars 57-56. Logan Johnson had 14 points, carrying the team. The Gaels are first in the West Coast Conference.
It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Saint Mary’s will be aiming for a season sweep against San Francisco after triumphing in the only earlier game 78-61 at War Memorial Gymnasium on January 14, their seventh straight head-to-head victory. Johnson led the Gaels with 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Zane Meeks had 17 points in defeat.
Tyrell Roberts and Shabazz, averaging 15.5 and 15.3 points per game, respectively, are leading the Dons in scoring this season. Shabazz also has dished 3.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Meeks is grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game. Aidan Mahaney (14.7 ppg) and Mitchell Saxen (12.6) have powered the Gaels’ offense.
Saxen also has averaged 8.2 rebounds per game. Johnson has tallied 3.8 assists per game. The Gaels are one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the nation, ranking fourth with 57.1 points per game allowed. The Dons have struggled immensely in recent trips to University Credit Union Pavilion, losing each of the last 10.
San Francisco is 5-5 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +2.8 (76.9-74.1). For the season, the Dons are averaging 75.8 points per game, compared to 70.3 for opponents. Saint Mary’s has won each of the last 10, scoring 74.8 points per game on average while holding opponents to 56.4 (+18.4 margin).
DONS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Isaiah Hawthorne: 16.8 | 10.9 | +5.9
Julian Rishwain: 3.0 | 8.3 | -5.2
Points per game:
Isaiah Hawthorne: 9.2 | 6.7 | +2.5
Rebounds per game:
Zane Meeks: 3.4 | 6.0 | -2.6
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Luke Barrett: 3.4 | 5.0 | -1.6
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 17.4 | 12.2 | +5.2
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
San Francisco +12.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
