Gonzaga At Saint Mary’s

Gonzaga (0-4 West Coast Conference, 11-5) takes on Saint Mary’s (2-3, 7-8) for a 7:30 p.m. encounter at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

At a glance

After four games and an oh-for-conference start, it’s becoming crucial - make that necessary - for Gonzaga to capture a WCC victory. Last Saturday, the Saint Mary’s Gaels trailed late in the game and led by three in the last minute before beating GU 68-63 at the Martin Centre.

“I’m really frustrated; we’re not handling pressure well and we’re not doing good things when we need to,” GU coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “These are good kids, but we have to get back on track and start overachieving again. The other side of this is that we’re not playing well, but we’ve been good enough to stay real close.”

This will not be an easy place to turn things around. The Gaels have won five of seven home games this year, and those five wins have been by double-digit margins.

The biggest problem Saint Mary’s presents is forward Brent Farris, a clever inside player who put together backto-back 26-point games against Portland and GU last weekend. Also helping the Gaels is the return of forward A.J. Rollins, who came back from a hamstring injury to get 10 points and 11 rebounds against GU.

Gonzaga: John Rillie, 12.8 points per game; Paul Rogers, 6.0 rebounds; Kyle Dixon, 3.7 assists. Saint Mary’s: Brent Farris, 13.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg; Kamran Sufi, 5.0 apg.

Radio: KJRB (790 AM), pre-game 15 minutes before tipoff.