Saint Mary’s Team Report
GETTING INSIDE
Even though St. Mary’s held a one-game lead in the West Coast Conference with just five games left as of Feb. 7, there was a growing concern surrounding the team heading into its road games against Santa Clara and San Francisco.
Quite simply, the Gaels have not played well the past three weeks, and it appears St. Mary’s may have peaked too soon.
St. Mary’s was playing its best basketball in early January, blowing away conference opponents with such dominance that games were over by halftime. Virtually every player was playing at a high level, and the passing and outside shooting that have become St. Mary’s trademarks were being performed at a high level.
There were suggestions that despite the loss of Omar Samhan, this team might be better than last season’s St. Mary’s squad.
But the Gaels had not looked sharp in their past six games through Feb. 7. They have won four of them, but only in the Jan. 27 win at Gonzaga did the Gaels play up to their standards in that stretch. And even in that game, it took a twisting, off-balance shot by Mickey McConnell to pull off the win.
McConnell continues to play at a consistently high level, which is why he is the favorite to win WCC player of the year honors. Rob Jones is still putting up good numbers, too.
Matthew Dellavedova erupted for 23 points in the Feb. 5 win over Loyola Marymount, and that was encouraging because he had been struggling with his shot, but Mitchell Young and Clint Steindl had not been as productive.
The Gaels’ defense had not been effective recently, and the offense just had not been as crisp. The 19-point loss to Vanderbilt and the 15-point loss to Portland were noticeable indicators of problems during that six-game stretch, but the Gaels also struggled at home against San Diego, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, teams it crushed on the road earlier in the season.
The Gaels’ remaining schedule is challenging, and they must bounce back in the Feb. 10 road game against third-place Santa Clara and their Feb. 12 road game against second-place San Francisco. If they don’t play any better than they have the past three weeks, they will lose one or both and could find themselves in second place wondering whether they will get into the NCAA Tournament.
NOTES, QUOTES
• St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett was concerned about his team’s rebounding heading into the Feb. 5 game against Loyola Marymount, but the Gaels responded by outrebounding the Lions 36-21.
• The 79-70 victory over Loyola Marymount represented St. Mary’s 20th win, the fourth straight season the Gaels have won 20 games or more.
• St. Mary’s improved to 13-0 at home by beating Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, but the Gaels did not play well in either game. Loyola Marymount shot 52.8 percent from the floor against the Gaels, even though the Lions were without their top scorer, Drew Viney.
Quote To Note: “It’s not the opponent. It’s not Vanderbilt. It’s not Portland, It’s not Pepperdine. It’s us. We have to get better.”—St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, to the San Francisco Chronicle, after a 79-71 home victory over Pepperdine on Feb. 3, a game that was much closer than expected.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
This Week ‘S GAMES:
• at Santa Clara, Feb. 10
Key Matchup: G Matthew Dellavedova played Santa G Kevin Foster to a virtual standstill in the first meeting, which St. Mary’s won by 25 points, and if Dellavedova can do that again, the Gaels will be in good shape. But the Broncos are playing better now than they were then, and St. Mary’s is playing worse. Rob Jones’ duel with Santa Clara’s Marc Trasolini will be key.
• at San Francisco, Feb. 10
Key Matchup: The Dons may be the hottest team in the conference heading into this game, and if San Francisco beats San Diego on Feb. 10, it will come into this game knowing it can be tied in the loss column with the Gaels with another victory. Mickey McConnell dominated his point guard matchup against Dons freshman Cody Doolin in their earlier battle, which St. Mary’s won by 14 points, but the Doolin and the Dons are better at home, where they were 3-0 in conference games through Feb. 5.
Futures Market: St. Mary’s was 20-4 with six regular-season games left, but except for a Feb. 16 game against San Diego, all of them will be challenges. They include road games against San Francisco and Santa Clara, who were in second and third place through Feb. 5, then home games against Portland (which beat the Gaels by 15 points earlier), Gonzaga and nationally ranked Utah State. If the Gaels do not snap out of their recent doldrums, they could pile up some losses in a hurry.
Player Notes
• Senior G Mickey McConnell had 173 career 3-pointers after making two against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 5, putting him in fifth place on the school’s all-time list, just three behind No. 4 Daniel Kickert. He also had 422 assists after getting 10 against Loyola Marymount, putting him in third place on the school’s career list in that category.
• Junior F Rob Jones led the team in rebounds for the ninth consecutive game with his nine boards in the Feb. 5 game against Loyola Marymount.
• Sophomore G Matthew Dellavedova went 9-for-18 from the field and scored 23 points in the Feb. 5 game against Loyola Marymount, ending a two-game shooting slump in which he was 3-for-16. He played 40 minutes for the fourth time in the past five games against Loyola Marymount. He played 39 minutes in the other game
