GAME NOTES: The Saint Mary's-CA Gaels try to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time this season as they confront the Missouri State Bears in the final round of the Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena.
The Gaels, who lost their third game of this season against Denver on the road in a 70-58 final, had a similar type of outcome in this tournament on Thursday night as they suffered a 72-59 loss versus sixth-ranked and undefeated Baylor. The setback snapped what had become an eight-game win streak, although some of the opponents during that stretch were less than capable of pulling off an upset win against SMC in the first place.
Meanwhile the Bears, winners of three in a row upon their arrival in Sin City, ran into some trouble on Thursday and were forced to go to overtime before logging a 70-68 loss to West Virginia. The defeat was the first for the team since it dropped three in a row to the likes of Oral Roberts, New Mexico and Oklahoma City a few weeks back.
Missouri State won the only previous meeting between these two programs.
Caleb Patterson led three starters in double figures for the Bears on Thursday against West Virginia, going for 18 points as he knocked down 8-of-11 shots from the floor, while Kyle Weems checked in with 15 points and Jarmar Gulley added 11 to go along with five rebounds and three steals before picking up his fifth personal foul. While Gulley was turning the ball over five times without benefit of a single assist, Michael Bizoukas was trying to balance the scales as he handed out 10 assists over the course of 37 minutes of action for a team that shot 53.8 percent from the floor and 8-of-18 behind the three-point line yet still found a way to land in the loss column. Prior to making the trip to Sin City, Weems was leading the team in scoring with his 14.6 ppg and was also tops on the glass with 7.5 rpg, which gives him all the more reason to remain in the paint instead of drifting out to the perimeter on offense where he has converted just 29.4 percent of his three-point tries. Patterson entered action yesterday as the only other double-digit scorer with his 12.9 ppg.
Rob Jones was responsible for 14 points and seven rebounds, both team-highs for the Gaels on Thursday, but still the team had its hands full with sixth- ranked Baylor in the nightcap of the tournament. Brad Waldow was the only other player to score in double figures for the group with his 12 points, compiling his stats in just 22 minutes of action as he dealt with foul trouble. Matthew Dellavedova checked in with nine points, six assists and five rebounds, but his 1-of-8 shooting behind the three-point line didn't help matters. Averaging more than 31 minutes per game, Jones has been a guiding force in the paint for the Gaels, averaging a double-double with his 14.6 points and 10.7 rebounds, both of which pace the program after 12 games. Dellavedova (13.7 ppg) is charged with keeping the rest of his teammates involved in the action with his 6.2 apg, accounting for nearly one-third of the team's dishes thus far.
As long as Jones and Dellavedova handle their business tonight and don't try to do too much that is out of the ordinary, expect to see the Gaels back in the win column.
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