SAN BRUNO, Calif. – In a battle of conference unbeatens, Saint Mary’s visits San Francisco Thursday night to highlight week three in West Coast Conference women’s basketball. The Gaels (4-0) and Dons (3-0) are one of three undefeated teams in conference play, joining Washington State (3-0). All three teams enter Thursday on four-game winning streaks. Week three in the WCC features five games each on Thursday and Saturday, all available on ESPN+.
WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT PODCAST
The WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT women’s basketball podcast made its debut on Dec. 27. Hosted by Ann Schatz and Mary Murphy, the podcast breaks down the previous week’s action, provides in-depth analysis of the games ahead and features a guest each week. Full episodes are available on the WCC’s YouTube channel (YouTube.com/WCCsports), as well as Apple and Spotify podcasts. The next episode will be on Thursday, Jan. 2, with all future episodes coming out on Wednesdays during the conference season.
FAST FACTS
3 – Three teams remain undefeated through two weeks of WCC play. Saint Mary's is 4-0 while Washington State and San Francisco are each 3-0.
10 – At 4-0, Saint Mary's is off to its best start in WCC play in 10 seasons, when the Gaels also opened 4-0 in conference action during the 2014-15 season.
24 – San Francisco has won its first three WCC games for the first time in 24 seasons. The Dons last opened the league slate 3-0 during the 2000-01 season.
NOTES
Every team has played at least three conference games, and three undefeated teams sit atop the WCC standings. Saint Mary's is 4-0, while Washington State and San Francisco are 3-0. Portland and Oregon State each have one loss, as the Beavers handed the Pilots their first loss of the season on Monday.
This week's schedule features five games on Thursday and five on Saturday. Thursday's slate is highlighted by a matchup of two of the WCC’s three undefeated teams in conference play, as Saint Mary’s visits San Francisco. Also on Thursday, Portland faces Gonzaga in the Rose City in a rematch of the title game of the 2024 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship – a game the Pilots won, 67-66, in Las Vegas. Saturday's games include a battle of WCC affiliates Oregon State (2-1) at Washington State (3-0).
Saint Mary's is 4-0 in WCC play for the first time since the 2014-15 season after wins over Pacific and San Diego. The Gaels overcame double-digit deficits in both games, defeating Pacific 80-78 in overtime and San Diego 85-75. Zeryhia Aokuso totaled 37 points in the two games to lead Saint Mary's. Aokuso hit the game winner at the buzzer against Pacific to finish with 16 points and five boards. She put up a season high 21 points against San Diego, hitting 6-of-8 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line, while adding four rebounds and a game-high six assists. Aokuso is averaging more than seven assists per game during SMC’s four-game winning streak. Maia Jones had a big game off the bench against Pacific, scoring a team-high 23 points.
San Francisco has won four-straight overall and is 3-0 in WCC action with each of its wins coming by double digits. The Dons have won their first three WCC games for the first time since the 2000-01 season. USF earned a pair of road victories at LMU and Santa Clara this past week, with Emma Trawally Porta leading the way, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. At LMU, Trawally Porta scored 18 points and hit 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. She followed with a near double-double at Santa Clara with 17 points and nine rebounds. In conference play, San Francisco ranks second in scoring at 74.3 points per game.
Washington State has won four-straight games to improve to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the WCC. In a 67-46 win against Pepperdine, 11 players scored, led by Tara Wallack, Charlotte Abraham and Jenna Villa, who had 12 points apiece. The Cougars hit 11 three-pointers and totaled nine blocks in the win over the Waves. At Pacific, Eleonora Villa tied her career high with 20 points, as the Cougars outscored the Tigers by 12 in the second half for the 74-66 win. Washington State ranks second in the nation at 7.2 blocks per game and in WCC play, the Cougars are averaging 9.3 rejections per contest. They are also holding conference foes to a league-low 51.3 points per game and have an average margin of victory of 17.3 – second only to Portland (17.8).
After opening the week with a dominant 81-54 win at Santa Clara to extend its program-record start of 14 wins without a loss, Portland received one vote in Monday’s Associated Press national poll. The Pilots dropped their first game of the season later on Monday, falling to Oregon State, 76-72, in overtime in a game that featured 15 lead changes. Maisie Burnham and Emme Shearer scored 21 apiece and the Pilots recorded 11 steals in the tightly contested game against the Beavers. In conference play, the Pilots lead the WCC in scoring (80.0) and margin of victory (17.8).
Oregon State secured back-to-back overtime road wins against Gonzaga (71-67) and previously undefeated Portland (76-72) this past week. WCC Player of the Week, Kelsey Rees, set and reset her career scoring high with 21 points at Gonzaga and 25 at Portland. She also averaged 10.5 rebounds and shot 70.8 percent from the field in the two wins.
The Beavers trailed late in both contests, storming back to win both games in overtime. OSU erased a 12-point deficit with 3:08 to play at Gonzaga, with a 12-0 run to force overtime. A three-pointer by Ally Schimel with 1:42 remaining in overtime game the Beavers a 69-67 lead and the eventual victory. Trailing Portland 60-54 midway through the fourth quarter, Rees led Oregon State’s comeback with seven points down the stretch, including a layup with 30 seconds to go to force overtime. Rees scored five more in overtime as the Beavers outscored the Pilots 11-7 to secure the win.
Gonzaga bounced back from its OT loss to Oregon State on Saturday with a 75-54 win over Pepperdine on Monday. Yvonne Ejim averaged 22.5 points in the Zags' two games, extending her streak of scoring in double figures to 57 contests. Ejim, who averaged 8.0 rebounds per contest, moved into second all-time in career rebounds at Gonzaga with 938. She has 1,971 career points, good for fourth in school history and sixth on the WCC’s career scoring list.
Olivia Pollerd continued her strong play for Santa Clara in its two games, averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Against San Francisco, she had a double-double with 13 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. Pollerd reached 1,000 points for her career with her total against USF. Pollerd, who transferred to Santa Clara after playing one season at Washington, enters this week’s games six points shy of 1,000 during her time with the Broncos. SCU meets Washington State in Pullman on Thursday in a rematch of last season’s second-round matchup in the WBIT.
Pacific's Liz Smith scored a career-best 30 points in the Tigers' overtime loss to Saint Mary's. She added 17 points in a setback against Washington State. For the week, the senior averaged 23.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. Anaya James recorded her 500th career assist against the Gaels, the second Tiger to achieve that mark in program history.
LMU dropped its only contest of the week, falling 85-73 to San Francisco. Four players scored in double figures, led by Naudia Evans, who totaled 25 points, seven assists, and three steals. Evans remains tied for the national lead in assists per game with 7.3.
Pepperdine’s Ella Brubaker averaged 16.0 points against Washington State and Gonzaga this past week. The senior guard hit 7-of-12 from three-point range for the week. Freshman Chloe Sotell totaled seven assists against Gonzaga to improve her assist/turnover ratio to 2.8, fifth best in the WCC in conference games.
Ava Ranson of San Diego leads the WCC in steals per game, averaging 3.0 steals per contest in conference play. She recorded 16 points, seven assists and a steal in USD’s lone game this past week, against Saint Mary’s.