Yale at Saint Mary's
Tuesday, Dec. 28 – 10 p.m. EST
UCU Pavilion
WCC.com Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale makes it longest trip of the season to close out 2021. The Bulldogs are in Northern California to face perennial WCC power Saint Mary's on Tuesday. Tip off at University Credit Union Pavilion is slated for 10 p.m. EST, and the game will be streamed live at wcc.com.
 
It is the final non-league game for Yale, which opens Ivy League play on Sunday vs. Columbia at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. It has been a productive and challenging non-conference slate for the Bulldogs. All seven of Yale's losses have come to teams that have overall records of two games over .500 or better. The combined overall record of those seven opponents is 63-20 (.759). The Bulldogs also own impressive victories over UMass, Siena and Milwaukee among their six wins.
 
According to the NCAA, Yale's schedule is ranked as the 95^th toughest in the nation and the hardest in the Ivy League. The Bulldogs' 13 opponents have a .604 winning percentage. Brown (165th overall) has the second toughest schedule in the league. The Bears' 13 opponents have a .562 winning percentage,
 
Yale, which had its Dec. 23 game vs. Howard canceled, hasn't played since a 69-60 loss to Monmouth on Dec. 14. The Bulldogs have dropped their last two games and are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since December of 2017.
 
Three Bulldogs average double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Azar Swain at 19.3 ppg., which is second in the Ivy League. Swain's 251 points are the 15th most in the nation, his 209 field goal attempts are the fifth most, and he is 20th with 56 free throws made.
 
Junior guard Matthue Cotton (10.8 ppg.) and senior guard Jalen Gabbidon (10.4 ppg.) are the other double-figure scorers. Gabbidon, the 2020 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, is coming off a 14-point, three-rebound, three-steal performance vs. Monmouth.
 
Yale is in the midst of the most successful era in the long history of the program. Over the last six seasons, the Bulldogs have a remarkable 63-21 Ivy record. During that stretch, they have won four league titles and earned three NCAA Tournament berths, including notching the first NCAA victory in school history.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
Yale is making its third trip to Moraga, Calif., under James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. Overall, the teams are playing for the sixth time, and all have come in Northern California. The first meeting was in 1948, a 74-69 Saint Mary's victory at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Yale's lone win over the Gaels came in 1990, 66-65 at the Stanford Invitational.
 
SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S
 
The Gaels (11-3) received votes in the Dec. 20 national coaches' poll. Saint Mary's is coming off a 75-58 win over Missouri State on Dec. 22. The Gaels trailed 36-33 at halftime but outscored Missouri State 42-22 over the final 20 minutes. Matthias Tass (12.7 ppg.) leads the team in scoring, and Kyle Bowen (6.5 rpg.) is the top rebounder. Saint Mary's has participated in the postseason (6 NCAA, 7 NIT) in each of the last 13 seasons, and has the 10th best win percentage of any Div. I team in the nation over the last 10 seasons.