Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Saint Mary’s and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Cal Poly 47-31.
Saint Mary’s entered the matchup having won five straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it six, or will Cal Poly step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Cal Poly Mustangs @ Saint Mary’s Gaels
Current Records: Cal Poly 3-3, Saint Mary’s 5-0
How To Watch
What to Know
Mustangs fans better hope the squad plays one heck of a game on Saturday as the odds are decidedly against them. Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the Saint Mary’s Gaels at 8:00 p.m. ET at University Credit Union Pavilion. The Mustangs are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 82.7 points per game this season.
Cal Poly is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Arizona State just ended the team’s three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell to the Sun Devils 93-89. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Sunday (82), the Mustangs still had to take the loss.
Despite their defeat, Cal Poly saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jarred Hyder, who scored 27 points, was perhaps the best of all. What’s more, Hyder also posted a 50% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in November of 2023. Kieran Elliott was another key player, going 6 for 7 en route to 14 points plus five rebounds.
Cal Poly struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in December of 2023.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. They steamrolled past the Warriors 78-38. That looming 78-38 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gaels yet this season.
Cal Poly’s loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Saint Mary’s, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cal Poly has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Saint Mary’s struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 42.8. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cal Poly was dealt a punishing 79-48 defeat at the hands of Saint Mary’s in their previous matchup back in November of 2019. That contest was pretty much over by halftime, at which point Cal Poly was down 46-21.
Odds
Saint Mary’s is a big 22.5-point favorite against Cal Poly, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Gaels as a 19.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 149.5 points.
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Series History
Saint Mary’s has won both of the games they’ve played against Cal Poly in the last 9 years.
Nov 17, 2019 – Saint Mary’s 79 vs. Cal Poly 48Dec 14, 2015 – Saint Mary’s 93 vs. Cal Poly 63
