Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Saint Mary's and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Pepperdine 43-27.

Saint Mary's entered the contest having won 12 straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it 13, or will Pepperdine step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Pepperdine Waves @ Saint Mary's Gaels

Current Records: Pepperdine 10-16, Saint Mary's 20-6

How To Watch

What to Know

Pepperdine has quite the challenge ahead of them as they're expected to be blown off the court. They and the Saint Mary's Gaels will face off in a West Coast battle at 11:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at University Credit Union Pavilion. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Pepperdine had to suffer through a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 72-63 on Saturday.

Pepperdine can attribute much of their success to Michael Ajayi, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ajayi didn't help Pepperdine's cause all that much against the Dons on Thursday but the same can't be said for this contest.

Meanwhile, Saint Mary's waltzed into their game on Saturday with 11 straight wins but they left with 12. They put the hurt on the Pilots with a sharp 76-51 win. Saint Mary's has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 20 points or more this season.

Saint Mary's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Augustas Marciulionis, who scored 14 points along with eight assists, and Aidan Mahaney, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. Mahaney didn't help Saint Mary's cause all that much against the Tigers last Tuesday but the same can't be said for this matchup.

The Waves' victory bumped their record up to 10-16. As for the Gaels, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 17 of their last 18 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-6 record this season.

Not only did both teams in this Thursday's match win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking ahead, the game looks promising for Saint Mary's, as the team is favored by a full 19 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last three times they've played.

Pepperdine took a serious blow against the Gaels when the teams last played back in January of 2023, falling 73-44. Can Pepperdine avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Saint Mary's is a big 19-point favorite against Pepperdine, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Gaels as a 19.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 132.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Saint Mary's has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Pepperdine.

  • Jan 19, 2023 - Saint Mary's 73 vs. Pepperdine 44
  • Jan 29, 2022 - Saint Mary's 81 vs. Pepperdine 57
  • Jan 13, 2022 - Saint Mary's 77 vs. Pepperdine 62
  • Feb 22, 2021 - Saint Mary's 66 vs. Pepperdine 61
  • Feb 13, 2021 - Pepperdine 60 vs. Saint Mary's 58
  • Mar 08, 2020 - Saint Mary's 89 vs. Pepperdine 82
  • Jan 18, 2020 - Saint Mary's 78 vs. Pepperdine 69
  • Feb 16, 2019 - Saint Mary's 72 vs. Pepperdine 65
  • Jan 26, 2019 - Pepperdine 84 vs. Saint Mary's 77
  • Mar 04, 2018 - Saint Mary's 69 vs. Pepperdine 66