SMC @ Chiles, Saturday 02/11, 3:00pm, CBSSN

The Gaels come to Portland for a midafternoon 3:00 pm game. They are an experienced team with several senior and junior key players, but they are lead by freshman sensation Aidan Mahaney, a 6'3" G. He is averaging 15 ppg, and has been WCC Freshman of the week 10 times this year, including the last 6 weeks. Both he and G Alex Ducas are hitting 41% on 3P attempts. They also have a talented big man, 6'10" 242# center Mitchell Saxen. And their other guys are pretty good, too.

I never watched the first game (after the opening minutes), but Saxen had 15 points and 14 rebounds, as the Gaels went on a 16-2 run in three minutes to start the game and cruised to a crushing 42 point win. Pilots scored 14 points in the first half, and shot 5.3% (1-19) from 3P range for the game. Moses was out that game. The five Pilot starters made a combined total of 5 baskets. Nduka hit the only 3P, and Applewhite and St. Pierre were the lead scorers coming off the bench.

ESPN Analytics gives UP a 13% chance at victory. Vegas favors SMC by 11.5, and predicts a low scoring game with a 133.5 over/under. If the Pilots can play the whole game with the efficiency they've showed in spurts against USD and UOP, and shoot 45% or better on 3Ps, it could be an entertaining game. If not, I hope the Pilot Club lunch is good.

SMC must have rewatched the first half of the f
Game in Moraga. They are matching it.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Pilots 1st half: PK85 squad
Pilots 2nd half: NDSU squad

I give a lot of credit to the SMC defense in the second half. They would not let Moses and Juanse get the ball.

In the first half, SMC got 8 offensive rebounds and made about 5 of their 7 3P baskets on 2nd opportunities. 19 total offensive rebounds for SMC killed the Pilots.

In the first half, SMC made seven 3P shots.  Five of those shots were after an offensive rebound.  Cut out four of those and you have a nice halftime lead.

SMC did what I have seen several opponents do this year; the big man doesn't always rebound, he swats the ball out to a teammate.  Guess we are just too undersized to do that effectively.