St. Mary’s faces tough test vs No. 3 Gonzaga
Saint Mary’s (24-6, 11-4) vs. No. 3 Gonzaga (28-2, 14-1)
McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 3 Gonzaga presents a tough challenge for Saint Mary’s. Saint Mary’s has won one of its three games against ranked teams this season. Gonzaga is coming off a 94-59 home win against San Diego in its most recent game.
SUPER SENIORS: Saint Mary’s has relied heavily on its seniors. Jordan Ford, Malik Fitts, Tanner Krebs and Tommy Kuhse have combined to account for 70 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 89 percent of all Gaels points over the team’s last five games.
CREATING OFFENSE: Ford has accounted for 40 percent of all Saint Mary’s field goals over the last five games. The senior guard has 40 field goals and 16 assists in those games.
LONG-RANGE THREAT: Saint Mary’s’s Fitts has attempted 138 3-pointers and connected on 42 percent of them, and is 8 for 20 over the last three games.
STREAK STATS: Gonzaga has won its last 16 home games, scoring an average of 91.5 points while giving up 64.3.
DID YOU KNOW: The Gonzaga offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.6 percent of its possessions, which is the 15th-best rate in the country. The Saint Mary’s defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 17.6 percent of all possessions (ranked 275th among Division I teams).
