It doesn’t get much bigger than Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s. The WCC’s premier rivalry game is set for Saturday night in Moraga, California. The opportunity is there for Gonzaga to reassert their dominance this season and for Saint Mary’s to prove that they are the class of the west coast.
Gonzaga Has Been Absolutely Blitzing Opponents Recently
While Gonzaga’s season has been primarily characterized by an inability to be at their best in crunch time situations, sometimes the best way to deal with that is to simply blow the opponents out of the water. That is exactly what the Zags have done recently, demolishing Portland on Saturday before getting a their revenge against Oregon State in a massive way on Tuesday. After the Beavers upset Gonzaga earlier this month, the Gonzaga put the hammer down at home, winning by 28 points in an absolute rout.
📊These stat lines go 𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘡𝘠 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kvCkzf0CpE
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 29, 2025
In their last two contests, they are averaging 101.5 points per game, with an average margin of victory of over 35. Forward Michael Ajayi, who has been very inconsistent throughout the year, has averaged 17.5 points per game over their two-game win streak. After not attempting a shot against Portland, Khalif Battle exploded off the bench for 23 points against Oregon State, 12 of which were free throws. Battle was in attack mode all night and will need to be again against Saint Mary’s.
Outside of individual performers, the Zags are increasingly more connected on offense as a team. They have 50 total assists in their last two games, with point guard Ryan Nembhard having 25 of them.
pizza rolls 😁 pic.twitter.com/ICVxI3IE2B
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 29, 2025
The encouraging pair of results came off the back of back-to-back losses. Gonzaga has had a sort of down year, but they still have the ability to win the WCC and continue their streak of Sweet 16 appearances. After the win against Oregon State, head coach Mark Few said the team is looking forward to the “huge challenge” Saint Mary’s will pose.
Saint Mary’s Continues to Win With a Familiar Formula
The Saint Mary’s Gaels are still undefeated in WCC play, at a perfect 9-0. Not many of their games have been close, with their lone single-digit result coming against Washington State last Saturday. As per usual, the Gaels are one of the slowest-paced teams in the county. They are currently 344th in possessions per game. Saint Mary’s methodically controls games, leaning on veteran leaders, efficient scoring, and dominant rebounding. The team currently has a record of 19-3.
The team’s two returning starters, Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen, continue to be the powerhouse of the squad. Marciulionis has led the team in both points per game (13.6) and assists (5.7). The Lithuanian is having his best ever season scoring the ball and is shooting a career-high percentage from three. That being said, transfer forward Paulius Murauskas has been the one putting up points recently.
After spending his freshman year at Arizona, Murauskas has been on a tear for the Gaels. Last week, he put up 25 against San Francisco before following it up with 25 and 12 rebounds against Washington State, which included 3 three-pointers.
Paulius Murauskas has been named the Lute Olson National Player of the Week after a monster week. Murauskas put up 49 combined points in wins over USF and WSU, as well as posted his ninth double-double of the season with 25 PTS and 12 REBS at Pullman. #GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/ji8TKSKTjb
— Saint Mary’s Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) January 27, 2025
Players like Murauskas and Saxen have helped Saint Mary’s to 16th in the nation in total rebounding and 3rd in average rebounding differential. The team has both big bodies and fantastic positional rebounders like Luke Barrett (6.8 boards per game).
The Saint Mary’s defense has also been smothering. Against Santa Clara, the team started on a 26-0 run thanks to stellar defense from the entire team. Saxen spoke to reporters after the game to describe how locked in the entire roster was on the scouting report. The big man mentioned the “championship mentality” and high standards as part of their reason for their success.
Saint Mary’s big man Mitchell Saxen spent a few minutes with us, describing what this night was like.
– The 30-0 Run
– Advanced Scouting
– Championship Mentality
– Understanding how to “break a team”
#SaintMarys pic.twitter.com/EW1Ev1js9O— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) January 30, 2025
Both rebounding and defending are Saint Mary’s strengths, and against a high-powered Gonzaga offense, it might be a case of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object on Saturday.
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