Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas should encounter more tough defense in fourth meeting with Gonzaga | Key matchup

Paulius Murauskas has drawn an assortment of defenders in three previous encounters with Gonzaga.

The Zags matched size with size in the two regular-season meetings last year, putting 6-8, 230-pound forward Ben Gregg on the 6-8, 235-pound Murauskas. When Gregg wasn’t on the floor, Murauskas faced an entirely different challenge, matching up with athletic wing Michael Ajayi.

The Lithuania native never looked completely comfortable in those matchups, but still scored 19 points on 7 of 19 shooting in a pair of Saint Mary’s victories. At the very least, they were more memorable than the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament, when Gonzaga unveiled a double-big lineup and passed the Murauskas assignment over to 6-10 forward Braden Huff, who bottled up the junior to the tune of zero points and 0 of 7 shooting in just 14 minutes.

Murauskas won’t have to see Gregg, Ajayi or Huff in Saturday’s meeting with No. 6 Gonzaga at McCarthey Athletic Center (7:30 p.m., ESPN), but it doesn’t mean he’ll get a breather in the first of two regular-season matchups between the longtime WCC rivals.

With Graham Ike expected to return from a right ankle injury, the Saint Mary’s forward should get the unenviable task of matching up with Gonzaga wing Jalen Warley, who’s been an unsung hero for the Zags all year and their most important player amid recent frontcourt injuries.

After losing four starters from last season, it should be no surprise the Gaels are running offense through their lone returner. Murauskas averages a WCC-high 19.3 points per game for the Gaels and he’s been their top scorer in six of the last eight games.

“He’s really talented. They’re well-coached as well, so they put him in some really good spots,” Warley said of Murauskas. “I think it’s just going to be a team defense kind of thing. We’ve got a lot of guys who will make his life a little difficult, make his shots a little bit harder than he’s accustomed to. But it’ll come down to playing five on five, so if we can have great help defense and kind of pressure him – we’re such a deep team, so if we can use all the different size and lineups on him, I think it’ll really bother him.”

Murauskas’ efficiency has fluctuated as he’s taken on a bigger role and assumed more responsibility for longtime coach Randy Bennett. The former Arizona player is making a career-high 48.4% from the field, but his 3-point percentage is still a shade under 30%.

In three games against Gonzaga, he was 7 of 26 (26%) from the field and 1 of 7 (14%) from 3-point range. Murauskas averaged 7.5 rebounds for the Gaels, but just 4.3 in the matchups with GU.

Murauskas is scoring at a higher clip this season and generally playing with more confidence. He’s reached double figures in 21 of 22 games this season, posting a season-high 30 points with 15 rebounds on Jan. 4 against Seattle U.

“The thing that’s different this year is Murauskas is really, really aggressive,” coach Mark Few said. “Doing a nice job on the offensive side of things. He’s became a really, really good player.”

Murauskas could meet his match in Warley, who should be in consideration for all-defensive honors in the WCC and has already had eight games with at least four steals. If the Zags revert to a small-ball lineup when Ike isn’t on the floor, Warley will likely slide over to the “5,” meaning one of two other 6-7 wings – Tyon Grant-Foster or Davis Fogle – will take on the Murauskas assignment.