STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's basketball team plays in its final road game of the regular season, traveling to #15 Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the University Credit Union Pavilion.
The Tigers (13-16, 6-8) are currently fighting for a top-six seed in the upcoming WCC Tournament and a first-round bye. The team is in a tie with San Francisco for fifth place with two games remaining.
Judson Martindale paced the Tigers last Saturday at LMU, scoring a team-high 19 points. Martindale was near-perfect from the field, connecting on eight field-goal attempts throughout the game. The Sudbury, Mass. sophomore shot 75 percent (three-for-four) from beyond the three-point line, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out two assists.
Keylan Boone added 15 points for the Tigers as he shot an efficient 62.5 percent (five-for-eight) from the floor. Boone led the team in rebounding during the game, grabbing four of the team's 22.
Saint Mary's enters Thursday's contest first in the league standings. For the 15th consecutive season (excluding the COVID-19) season), the Gaels (24-5, 13-1) have won 20 or more games. The team also entered the week nationally ranked for the seventh straight game, coming in at #15 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
Led by Aidan Mahaney, the nationally ranked Gaels have four players averaging double figures this season. The standout freshman registers 15.1 points per game and has reached the 20-point threshold seven times. Mahaney scored a career-high 25 points in a 78-70 win over Oral Roberts in the season opener on November 7.
Logan Johnson (13.8 points per game), Alex Ducas (12.2 points per game), and Mitchell Saxen (12.2 points per game) have also propelled the Gaels offensively through 29 games.
Defensively, Saxen leads the Gaels with a league-high 243 rebounds. Saxen also ranks second in the WCC and 67th nationally in rebounds per game with 8.4. Johnson leads the team in steals with 45, while Saxen and Kyle Bowen have combined for 62 blocks.
Facing off the first time since February 25, 2021, Saint Mary's leads the all-time series 77-41. The Tigers last defeated the Gaels on January 4, 2020, in a 107-99 four-overtime thriller at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
For more information about the 2022-23 season and future events, follow Pacific men's basketball on social media and download the Pacific Athletics mobile app.
