The Saint Mary’s Gaels will square off with the Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions tonight as part of their season opening five-game homestand. Tip will be at 7:00pm pacific time at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels are coming off a 76-71 win over the St. John’s Red Storm and sit at 2-0 on the young season.
Although the coaches and players will tell the media every game is a tough battle, in reality this presents more of a learning and practice opportunity. One key will be for the Gaels to prove they can dominate a game they’re expected to blow through. Good teams will handle their business against lesser opponents, so the Gaels can learn a little something in that sense.
Additionally, no team is perfect and is always looking to improve their play. If St. Mary’s jumps out to a big lead they can work in some of their bench and see what they have to offer. They can work on some plays and generally figure some things out before they get to more of the meat of their schedule.