The Saint Mary's Gaels continued their strong run through WCC play as they improved to 7-0 and a game and a half over the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Gaels defeated the Pepperdine Waves 61-47 in a game they never trailed. Saint Mary's benefited from BYU's stunning upset loss at home to Loyola Marymount. The unexpected home loss drops BYU two full games back of the Gaels in the conference standings.
Rob Jones led the way with his 12th double-double as he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Matthew Dellavedova and Stephen Holt added double digit points to guide the Gaels to victory. Pepperdine got a combined 27 points from Caleb Willis and Jordan Baker, but not a whole lot else. It was not a perfect showing from the Gaels but it was a solid victory that keeps them at the top of the standings.
The Gaels win marked the end of a four-game home stand as they will now head on the road for three games against Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount and BYU. The Gaels will be favored in the first two games, but it will be interesting to see how much BYU is favored in their contest in Provo. Saint Mary's blew them out in Moraga, and given the Cougars home loss to LMU, it could make for an interesting spread.