The San Diego Toreros (11-16, 4-9 WCC) will try to break down one of the NCAA’s top scoring defenses when they welcome the No. 17 Saint Mary’s Gaels (22-5, 11-1 WCC) on Thursday.
Saint Mary’s beat the Portland Pilots 81-64 at Earle A. Chiles Center on Saturday. Logan Johnson was the standout player with 34 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
The Gaels remain first in the West Coast Conference. San Diego came up short on Saturday at Spanos Center, falling to the Pacific Tigers 99-94. Jase Townsend had 34 points in the losing effort, leading the team. The Toreros remain ninth in the West Coast Conference.
It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Saint Mary’s will be looking for a season sweep against San Diego after taking the only prior game 85-58 at University Credit Union Pavilion in December 2022, their 17th straight head-to-head victory. Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
Bendji Pierre had 14 points in defeat. The Gaels have been led this season by Aidan Mahaney and Johnson, who are averaging 15.1 and 13.7 points per game, respectively. Johnson also has dished 3.7 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Saxen is grabbing 8.4 rebounds per game. Marcellus Earlington (17.6 ppg) and Townsend (15.1) have been the primary providers of the Toreros’ offense. Eric Williams Jr. is collecting 9.5 rebounds per game, and Sigu Sisoho Jawara is distributing 3.0 assists.
The Gaels rank as one of the top scoring defenses in the country, fourth-best with 58.7 points per game allowed. The Gaels have dominated the last 10 games at Jenny Craig Pavilion, winning eight. In the last 10 games, Saint Mary’s is 9-1 with an average margin of +15.2 (74.7-59.5).
San Diego has a 3-7 record over the last 10, allowing 85.3 points per game on average while scoring only 79.2 (-6.1 margin). The Toreros are averaging 78.6 ppg for the full season while allowing 80.1.
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Luke Barrett: 0.6 | 4.4 | -3.8
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 20.6 | 13.7 | +6.9
Assists per game: Aidan Mahaney: 2.6 | 2.0 | +0.6
TOREROS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists: Deuce Turner: 16.8 | 8.4 | +8.4
Eric Williams Jr.: 16.5 | 26.4 | -9.9
Points per game:
Marcellus Earlington: 22.2 | 17.6 | +4.6
Eric Williams Jr.: 9.0 | 14.5 | -5.5
Rebounds per game:
Jaiden Delaire: 7.0 | 4.9 | +2.1
Eric Williams Jr.: 6.0 | 9.5 | -3.5
Assists per game:
Sigu Sisoho Jawara: 1.5 | 3.0 | -1.5
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Saint Mary’s -13.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
