Halftime Report
Saint Mary’s is giving their home crowd exactly what they were hoping for. They have jumped out to a quick 36-28 lead against Gonzaga.
Saint Mary’s entered the matchup having won nine straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it ten, or will Gonzaga step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Gonzaga Bulldogs @ Saint Mary’s Gaels
Current Records: Gonzaga 16-6, Saint Mary’s 19-3
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting West Coast matchup on schedule as the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Saint Mary’s Gaels are set to tip at 11:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at University Credit Union Pavilion. The Bulldogs know how to get points on the board — the squad has finished with 82 points or more in their past seven contests — so hopefully the Gaels like a good challenge.
Last Tuesday, Gonzaga blew past Oregon State, posting a 98-60 victory. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Gonzaga relied on the efforts of Khalif Battle, who posted 23 points along with three steals, and Graham Ike, who went 10 for 12 en route to 22 points plus seven rebounds and two steals. What’s more, Ike also posted a 83.3% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in February of 2024. Michael Ajayi was another key player, dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.
Gonzaga was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists (they’re ranked first in assists per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oregon State only racked up nine.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s came tearing into Wednesday’s game with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 67-54 win over the Broncos.
Saint Mary’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Paulius Murauskas, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 14 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Mitchell Saxen, who scored 12 points plus five rebounds and two blocks.
Gonzaga is on a roll lately: they’ve won seven of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. As for Saint Mary’s, their win was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-3.
Looking forward, Gonzaga is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. This contest will be their 23rd straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 9-13 against the spread).
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gonzaga has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.5 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Saint Mary’s struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 40.5. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Odds
Gonzaga is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Saint Mary’s, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Gaels as a 1-point favorite.
The over/under is 144.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Gonzaga has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Saint Mary’s.
- Mar 12, 2024 – Saint Mary’s 69 vs. Gonzaga 60
- Mar 02, 2024 – Gonzaga 70 vs. Saint Mary’s 57
- Feb 03, 2024 – Saint Mary’s 64 vs. Gonzaga 62
- Mar 07, 2023 – Gonzaga 77 vs. Saint Mary’s 51
- Feb 25, 2023 – Gonzaga 77 vs. Saint Mary’s 68
- Feb 04, 2023 – Saint Mary’s 78 vs. Gonzaga 70
- Mar 08, 2022 – Gonzaga 82 vs. Saint Mary’s 69
- Feb 26, 2022 – Saint Mary’s 67 vs. Gonzaga 57
- Feb 12, 2022 – Gonzaga 74 vs. Saint Mary’s 58
- Mar 08, 2021 – Gonzaga 78 vs. Saint Mary’s 55
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
