Luke Nevill Named MWC Player Of The Week

 Nov. 24, 2008

DENVER, Colo. - University of Utah senior center Luke Nevill has been named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, announced the league office Monday. Among his accomplishments this week, Nevill was named the MVP of the Glenn Wilkes Classic following Utah's 3-0 performance in the tournament.

"Luke is competing harder and he's taking coaching very well," said Utah head coach Jim Boylen at his weekly press conference. "He's been very coachable and has embraced his teammates more this year. He has stepped outside of himself and has played more for his team and his teammates than he did last year. He has just recommitted to playing for his teammates, while trying to learn and grow. He's let me coach him more this year and I'm proud of him for doing that."

Nevill began the week with a double-double in Utah's 79-60 home victory over Green Bay, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He also got it done on the defensive end, blocking three shots. In the Utes' next action, Nevill posted his second double-double of the week and his third in as many games, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in Utah's 83-72 neutral-court victory against Ole Miss of the Southeastern Conference. He also added three assists in the contest.

Utah wrapped up the week by shutting down Morgan State, 66-37, completing a three-game Glenn Wilkes Classic sweep and being named the tournament champions. In that victory, Nevill led the Utes with 16 points and grabbed six rebounds, while recording three more blocks.

Nevill, named a Preseason All-MWC selection and a second-team All-MWC choice last year, is leading the conference in total rebounding (11.0 rpg), offensive rebounds (4.5 per game), defensive rebounds (6.5 per game) and blocked shots (2.25 bpg). He is also ranked third in scoring (18.5 ppg) and his field goal percentage (.644) is ranked ninth.

Mills' 24 points lifts Gaels over Providence

Anaheim, CA – The Saint Mary's men's basketball team held off the Providence Friars in the final game of the 76 Classic, posting an 81-75 win on Sunday from the Anaheim Convention Center. SMC had four players score in double figures, as Patrick Mills led the way with 24 points.

The Gaels held a 20-point lead at halftime, and led by as much as 21 points in the second half before Providence cut the SMC lead to six points late in the game. Four of the five starters for SMC scored in double figures, and accounted for 75 of the 81 points

SMC's leading scorer, Mills, was 8-for-15 from the floor and connected on 3-of-7 3-pointers. His biggest three came with just under four minutes remaining, giving the Gaels some breathing room and a 9-point (75-66) lead.

Diamon Simpson had a season-high 18 points against a very tough and physical Big East opponent. Simpson was 5-of-07 from the floor, and had a big game from the free throw line, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from the stripe. He had just five rebounds, but tied his career-high with four assists and added three steals. His final steal prevented the Friars from cutting the SMC lead to four, and resulted in the Mills three to give SMC a nine-point lead.

Ian O'Leary had his best game of the season, as he scored a season-high 13 points and added a team-high eight rebounds. He was 4-for-5 from the floor, had threes assists, one block and one steal in 22 minutes. Omar Samhan scored in double figures once again, adding 16 points and eight rebounds in a season-high 34 minutes.

Saint Mary's got off to a quick start, opening the game with a 10-0 run following threes by O'Leary and Hughes, a dunk by Simpson, and a pull-up jumper by Mills. After the Friars cut the SMC lead to three (21-18) at the 10:28 mark, the Gaels used a 6-0 burst over the next 1:28 to extend the lead back to nine.

With the Gaels leading 30-24 at the 6:46 mark, SMC went on an 18-4 run to close the half to take a 20-point (48-28) lead at the break. The run was highlighted by 10 points from Mills, which included two threes. Saint Mary's also got four points from O'Leary and two from Simpson and Ben Allen.

Mills finished the half with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, while Simpson and O'Leary added 11 and nine respectively. The Gaels shot 57.1 percent from the floor, the best first half percentage of the young season, while shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point land, which was also the best first half 3-point shooting performance of the season.  SMC forced 13 Providence turnovers with five first half steals.

With 15:10 remaining in the game, the Gaels held a 60-39 advantage following a basket by Samhan. Following the Samhan bucket, the Gaels went cold from the floor for the next four minutes, allowing the Friars to use a 10-0 run to cut the SMC lead to 11 points with 11:53 left on the clock. The scoring drought for SMC ended when Mills hit an 18-foot jumper with 11 minutes left on the clock.

After the Mills basket, Providence continued to chip away at the Saint Mary's lead. With 9:32 left to play, the Friars cut the deficit to single digits, when Marshon Brooks hit 2-of-3 free throws. Providence cut the lead to six (70-64) following a pair of made free throws by Jonathan Kale at the 5:58 mark.

With SMC leading 72-66, Simpson made a big steal under the basket which was followed by a transition three from the right corner by Mills, giving the Gaels a nine-point advantage with four minutes remaining.

Saint Mary's will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4 with a road game at Kent State. The game between the Gaels and the Golden Flashes will tip-off at 4 p.m. Pacific Time from the 6,327-seat MAC Center on the Kent State campus (Friday 11am AEDT) .

 

 

Ogilvy Tourney MVP

CANCUN - Vanderbilt sophomore A.J. Ogilvy scored 25 points to lead four Commodore players in double figures in route to a 71-66 win over VCU in the finals of the Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. Ogilvy was named the tournament's MVP, and junior guard Jermaine Beal was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team.

Sunday's win marked the second consecutive Thanksgiving tournament title for the Commodores. Vanderbilt captured the South Padre Island Invitational in 2007 with wins over Utah State and Bradley.

The Commodores led for most of the contest, but VCU made the game interesting in the second half behind their frenzied defense and clutch shooting Ram guard Eric Maynor, who ended the game with 31 points, 23 of those in the second half. Vanderbilt, who saw its lead balloon to as many as 18 early in the second half, struggled with the quickness of the VCU guards in the period, and had its lead cut to one, 48-47, with 11:11 to play in the game. VU responded and pushed its lead back up to seven, but once again VCU came back, this time cutting the deficit to two points with 1:19 to play in regulation.

Free throw shooting, a strong point for the Commodores in the tournament, came through again in the waning moments, as Beal knocked down two shots and sophomore forward Darshawn McClellan made one-of-two with 30 seconds remaining to give VU the winning margin of 71-66. On the night, Vanderbilt was 26-for-30 from the charity stripe (86.7%).

Ogilvy ended the night with 25 points and seven rebounds, and included in his total were two three-point shots from the top of the key. Ogilvy played 30 minutes and was 11-for-16 from the floor overall. Beal scored 14 points and added six assists, while freshman Brad Tinsley continued his double-digit streak with 13 points in 37 minutes of action. Freshman forward Jeffery Taylor also added double figures with 10 points.

VCU's Maynor led all scorers with 31 points. Ram forward Larry Sanders was the only other VCU scorer in double figures with 10.

Vanderbilt returns home for a game with the UIC Flames Wednesday night at Memorial Gym. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.  (Thurs 11am AEDT).

 

 

 

Aron Baynes & WSU Hit Road for Legends Classic

WSU will take on Mississippi State Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

COUGARS HIT ROAD FOR LEGENDS CLASSIC: The Washington State University men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season as it heads across the country to Newark, N.J. to compete in the 2008 Legends Classic held at the Prudential Center. The Cougars will face Mississippi State in the semifinals, Sat. Nov. 29th (9:30am AEDT). Depending on the outcome of that game, WSU will face either No. 4 Pittsburgh or Texas Tech on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE COUGS:
• The Cougars defeated Canisius, 67-41, Tuesday (Nov. 25) evening at Pullman's Friel Court.
• The Cougars trailed early in the game, marking the second-straight game the Cougs have trailed and just the second time this season. • Senior Taylor Rochestie led the team with 17 points.
• Freshman Klay Thompson had the best shooting night of his career with 15 points while shooting .500 from the field.
• The Cougars kept Canisius' leading rebounder Chris Gadley (9.7 rpg coming in) off the boards as he didn't grab a single rebound. .
• Daven Harmeling, Taylor Rochestie and Klay Thompson have scored in double figures the last two games...they are the first Cougars to record back-to-back double figure scoring games this season. .
• For the second-straight game, six freshmen saw action, two redshirt freshmen (Abe Lodwick, Charlie Enquist) and four true freshmen (Marcus Capers, DeAngelo Casto, Klay Thompson, Nick Witherill). .

WSU AGAINST THE SEC:.
• The Cougars are 3-7 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference. .
• WSU has never faced Mississippi State, nor has it faced Auburn, Florida, Mississippi, or South Carolina. .
• The Cougars' last meeting against an SEC opponent was in the 2007 NCAA Tournament when WSU fell to Vanderbilt, 78-74 ,in double overtime. .
• There are two SEC teams on the Cougs' schedule this season as they will head to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on Dec. 28. .
• The only two teams WSU has faced more than once from the SEC are Alabama (1-2) and LSU (1-1). .

LOOKING AHEAD:.
• Depending on Friday's outcomes, WSU could face No. 4 Pittsburgh or Texas Tech Saturday. .
• WSU has never faced Pitt. .
• The Cougars and Red Raiders met once in the 1995 NIT with WSU prevailing, 94-82 in Pullman. .
• Both TTU and WSU have head coaches who took over for their fathers at their current programs (Knight and Bennett). .

KEEPING THE NONCONFERENCE STREAK ALIVE:.
• The Cougars have won 20-straight regular season nonconference games dating back to the last four nonconference regular season games of the 2006-07 season. .
• The 20-game streak is second-longest in school history passing the 19-straight regular season nonconference games winning streak during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. .
• WSU's record streak stands at 23 games set during the 1931-32, 1932-33 and 1933-34 seasons. .

NEARLY PERFECT IN NOVEMBER:.
• WSU is 33-0 all-time in the month of November at Friel Court and has won 30-straight November games in Pullman and is 34-1. .
• The Cougars' only loss in Pullman in November was 77-47 to Colorado State, Nov. 30, 1963. .
• WSU is a perfect 18-0 in the month of November under third-year head coach Tony Bennett. .
• The Cougars have started the season 4-0 in all three of Tony Bennett's season at the helm. .

WSU FRESHMEN AMONG TOPS IN PAC-10:.
• Four different Cougar freshmen rank in the top-three amongst freshmen in the top-10 in seven different categories (as of Nov. 24). .
• Klay Thompson leads all Pac-10 freshmen in 3-point field goals made (fifth overall), is third amongst freshmen in scoring (23rd overall) and is tied with WSU redshirt freshman Charlie Enquist for third amongst freshmen for blocks per game (tied for fifth overall).
• Marcus Capers leads the conference freshmen in assist/turnover ratio (10th overall) and is tied for first in assists (tied for 12th overall). • DeAngelo Casto leads the Pac-10 freshmen in blocks per game while ranking third in the league. .

THOMPSON OFFERS `FRESH' START:.
• With his start against MVSU Nov. 15, Klay Thompson became the first Cougar freshman to start a season opener since Kyle Weaver started against Montana State, Nov. 19, 2004.
• He also became the first WSU freshman to start a game since Nikola Koprivica started against San Diego State, Dec. 21, 2006. .
• A total of six freshmen saw action in the season opener for the Cougs (Marcus Capers, DeAngelo Casto, Charlie Enquist, Abe Lodwick, Klay Thompson, Nick Witherill).
• Four of the freshmen are true freshman (Capers, Casto, Thompson, Witherill). The last time four true freshman played in the season opener was in 2004 (Josh Akognon, Robbie Cowgill, Daven Harmeling, Kyle Weaver). .
• Six freshmen have seen action in three of WSU's four games, while five freshmen saw action in the other game. .
• Last season just two freshmen played for the Cougars, making a total of 20 appearances (one true freshman, one redshirt freshman). • This year seven WSU freshmen have combined for 23 appearances in the first four games. .
• Thompson currently leads the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game. The last freshman to end the season with 12 or more points was Mark Hendrickson with a 12.6 average in 1993. (Second-best mark in WSU's freshmen record books.) .

FRESHMEN LEADING BLOCK PARTY:.
• Freshman DeAngelo Casto's four blocks against Mississippi Valley State Nov. 15 tied him for the third most by a freshman in a game. .
• Carlos Daniel had the best freshman debut blocks-wise with five against Eastern Washington, Nov. 29, 1994...Aron Baynes also had five blocks as a freshman at San Diego State, Dec. 10, 2005. .
• Casto followed with a two-block performance against Fairleigh Dickinson...he's averaging 2.3 blocks per game and has had a block in every game of his career. .
• In the second game of the season, freshman Klay Thompson led the Cougs in blocks with three...he's tied for second on the team with 1.0 blocks a game. .
• Redshirt freshman Charlie Enquist also has four blocks on the season, tying with Thompson for third on the team with 1.0 blocks per game. .

WINNING BY 20-PLUS:.
• This season the Cougars have won all four games by margins of victory greater than 20 points. .
• WSU's final two wins of the 2007-08 season were also by 20 or more points (61-41 over Notre Dame-3/22; 71-40 over Winthrop-3/20). .
• The Cougars have had a margin of victory of 20 or more points in each of their last six wins, dating back to last season. .

SENIOR CITIZENS:.
• Despite a roster with just five seniors (including walk-on Ryan Bailey), the majority of WSU's points came from the senior class in the opening game. .
• The seniors accounted for 43 of WSU's 76 points (57 percent), including the game's only two double-digit scorers in Aron Baynes (14 points) and Caleb Forrest (13 points). .
• An upper classman has led the Cougs in scoring in every game this season (freshman Klay Thompson tied Taylor Rochestie for game-high honors in the third game of the season). .
• The upperclassmen have outscored the freshmen, 177-92 this season, 149 of those points scored by seniors. (one junior has played, no sophomores). .

ROCHESTIE PLAYS 100TH GAME:
• WSU's Nov. 21 game against Sacramento State marked the 100th game of redshirt senior Taylor Rochestie's career. • He's now played in 101 games. .
• Rochestie played 28 games as a freshman at Tulane and has played 73 games at WSU. .
• The point guard has started 69 of his 101 games thus far, including 44 starts at WSU. .

BAYNES EYEING 1,000 POINTS:.
• Senior center Aron Baynes is looking to become the 30th player in Washington State history to score 1,000 points in his WSU career. .
• Now with 686 career points, Baynes needs a total of 314 more points this season to reach the milestone. .
• The Australian-native tallied 365 last season averaging 10.4 per game. .

ROCHESTIE CLOSING IN TOO:.
• Redshirt senior guard Taylor Rochestie is also closing in on the 1,000-point mark for his career. .
• Between his freshman season at Tulane University and the last two years at WSU, Rochestie has amassed 873 points. .
• After a junior season in which he tied Baynes for third on the team in scoring with 365 points, Rochestie will need 477 total points this season to get to 1,000 as a Cougar. .
• Rochestie has 569 points as a Cougar after scoring 304 at Tulane. .

COUGARS RECEIVING VOTES:.
• Although the Cougars haven't been ranked this season, they still continue to receive votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Polls. .
• WSU has 13 votes in the AP Poll and 15 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. .
• Three of WSU's opponents this season are ranked, as is Pittsburgh, a possible opponent for the Cougars in the Legends Classic. • Pittsburgh (4), Gonzaga (9/10), UCLA (13/11) and Arizona State (14)are all ranked. .
• On top of that, four of the Cougars' opponents are receiving votes (Baylor-both, LSU-AP, USC -both, Washington-ESPN/USA Today). .

COUGS AMONG YOUNGEST TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY:.
• With nine total freshman, WSU is tied with three other schools for the most freshmen on a roster in the country. The Cougs are tied with Presbyterian, High Point and The Citadel. .
• The Cougars' group of seven true freshmen is tied for the fourth most true freshmen on an NCAA Division I roster in the nation. Duquesne, Saint Louis and Iona each have eight true freshmen on their rosters. .
• WSU's seven scholarship freshmen also ties them for third in the country for most scholarship freshmen. Duquesne and Saint Louis each have eight scholarship freshmen. .
• Although freshmen-heavy, the Cougars older players make up for it. Among the youngest teams by average age, the Cougars rank 10th in the country with an average age of 19.87 years old. Arizona State (19.81 years old) ranks directly ahead of the Cougs, while Oregon (19.93 years old) is right behind WSU at 11th. .

ABOUT THE LEGENDS CLASSIC:.
• The 2008 Legends Classic is a 12-team tournament featuring teams from 12 different conferences. .
• Four teams from four top conferences start the tournament with opening round games on their home courts. .
• Those four teams will advance to the championship round of the tournament at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Nov. 28-29 (Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, WSU). .
• The Cougars defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 55-33, in the Pullman Regional of the Tournament. .

St. Mary's opens Tourney in Anaheim

THIS WEEK IN SAINT MARY’S BASKETBALL
The Gaels will look to remain unbeaten when they travel to Anaheim, CA to compete in the 2008 76 Classic, hosted by the Big West Conference and ESPN. The Gaels will open the tournament against the UTEP Miners on Thursday, Nov. 27. The game on Thanksgiving Day will tip-off at 11 a.m. from the Anaheim Convention Center. All three games of the tournament will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with games on ESPNU and ESPN2. The first and second round games for SMC will be televised on ESPNU, while the third round game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Saint Mary’s will play three games in the tournament, which begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday. The Gaels will play either No. 19/24 Wake Forest or Cal State Fullerton on Friday. After a day off on Saturday, SMC will close the tournament against either No. 14/14 Arizona State, Baylor, Providence, or Charlotte on Sunday. Saint Mary’s enters the eight-team 76 Classic tournament with a 3-0 record following an 86-54 win over Vanguard University on Sunday night. The Gaels opened the year with an 86-55 win over Division II Seattle Pacific, then improved to 2-0 with a 99-85 win over Fresno State. SMC’s first round opponent, UTEP, enters the game with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss at home to UNLV on Monday night.

RADIO AND TELEVISION
The Saint Mary’s versus UTEP game will be televised on ESPNU. The Saint Mary’s radio broadcast will be available on the internet through www.SMCGaels.com with Mike Bouve calling the action courtside. The game will not have a commercial radio broadcast on KDIA AM 1640. Gael fans can access the audio broadcast by logging onto the Gael Vision service for a subscription fee of $6.95 per month or 49.95 for the full 2008-09 athletic season.

PATRICK MILLS NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Patrick Mills was named the WCC Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday, Nov. 24, for the fourth time in his career. Mills averaged 21.5 points in wins over Fresno State (99-85) and Vanguard (86-54). He was 16-of-31 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from 3-point land, and averaged 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals. The sophomore scored a game-high 27 points against Fresno State, while dishing out five assists and making six steals. Against Vanguard, he scored a game-high 16 points while leading SMC to a 32-point win over the Lions.

SMC IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT RECORD
Saint Mary’s has a 67-73 (.496) overall record in 64 in-season tournaments. The Gaels have won 12 tournament titles, including three during the 2007-08 season. Last season, SMC went 2-0 in the Shamrock Invitational, 3-0 in the Rainbow Classic, and 2-0 in the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. In its last eight in-season tournaments, Saint Mary’s has a 17-1 record and seven tournament titles.

SCOUTING THE UTEP MINERS
The UTEP Miners enter the 76 Classic with a 2-1 record following a 67-80 loss to the UNLV Rebels on Monday night. The Miners opened the season with a 69-63 win over Texas Southern on Nov. 14, then posted a 96-79 win over Georgia Southern on Nov. 18. As a team, the Miners are averaging 77.3 points per game, are shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from 3-point land, and 64.2 percent from the free throw line. UTEP opponents are averaging 74.0 points per game, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point land, and 67.3 percent from the foul line. The Miners hold a 39.0 to 37.7 advantage on the glass. The Miners have two players that average over 20 points per game in Randy Culpepper and Stefon Jackson. Culpepper leads the team with 20.7 points per game, which includes a 35-point game against Georgia Southern. Culpepper leads the team with seven made 3-pointers this season. Jackson, who was a First Team Conference USA selection last year, averages 20.3 points per outing. He led the Miners with 20 points in the loss to UNLV on Monday. Also averaging in double figures is Julyan Stone with 10.7 points per game. Stone also leads the team in assists (20) and steals (8). The team’s leading rebounder is Arnett Moultrie as the 6-11 forward averages 7.7 rebounds per game. Tony Barbee is in his third year as the head coach at UTEP. Barbee guided the Miners to 14 and 19 wins in his first two seasons, and currently has a 35-32 overall record in El Paso. Barbee took the reins of the UTEP program on Aug. 14, 2006 as the 17th head coach in school history. Barbee took over the job at UTEP after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis.

SMC VERSUS UTEP: THE SERIES
Thursday’s game between SMC and UTEP will mark the first ever meeting between the two teams in men’s basketball.MILLS RECORDS 10TH CAREER 20-POINT GAMEIn the win over Fresno State, Patrick Mills scored 27 points to lead all players. The 20-point performance marked the 10th in the career for the sophomore guard. Mills first 20-point game ended with a career-high 37 points against Oregon, setting a SMC freshman record.

BENNETT SMC WINS LEADER
With a 3-0 record this season, head coach Randy Bennett has 130 career victories and is the winningest coach at Saint Mary’s. He became the all-time winningest coach at SMC following an 89-65 win over East Tennessee State on Dec. 21, 2007 in the Rainbow Classic. James Weaver (1955-62) held the record for 45 years with 110 wins in seven seasons. Bennett and Weaver are the only two coaches in school history to record 100 or more victories.

GAELS HAVE NATION’S ONLY OLYMPIAN
Saint Mary’s point guard Patrick Mills was the only collegiate basketball player to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mills played for his home country of Australia, and helped the Boomers post a 3-3 record in the tournament. While playing as a reserve in all six games, he averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game. He scored a team-high 22 points against Argentina and 20 against the United States in the quarterfinals. Additionally, he averaged 23 minutes, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

SMC IN AP AND COACHES POLLS
Saint Mary’s received 43 votes and is currently ranked 27th in the country in this week’s ESPN/USA Today’s Coaches Poll. In the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s received 111 votes and is ranked 28th overall. SMC has received votes in all three weeks this season. Last season the Gaels were ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll eight weeks, and were ranked in the top-25 five consecutive weeks. SMC was ranked a school record six weeks in AP poll, and the five consecutive weeks in the poll from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25 is also a school record. Last season Saint Mary’s received votes in both polls for 17 straight weeks.2007-08

RECORD WHEN RANKED
Last season SMC spent eight weeks as a top-25 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In those eight weeks, SMC played a total of 14 games and posted a 9-5 record. In the six weeks when ranked in the Associated Press Poll, Saint Mary’s played 11 games and posted a 7-4 record.

LAST NATIONAL RANKING PRIOR TO 07-08 SEASON
Prior to the 2007-08 season, SMC was last ranked in the top-25 in the 1988-89 campaign. SMC was ranked for three straight weeks and entered the poll with a No. 19 ranking the last week of February. After jumping up to No. 17 in the poll the next week, SMC dropped to No. 20 overall in the final poll of the year.

GAELS 3RD IN MID-MAJOR POLL
Saint Mary’s opened the season ranked third in the 2008-09 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. The Gaels received 697 total votes. Ahead of the Gaels are No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Davidson. Saint Mary’s closed the 2007-08 season ranked seventh in the mid-major poll.

GAELS AMONG NATION’S BEST IN BLOCKS
For the third straight year, Saint Mary’s is ranked in the top-25 in blocks per game. The Gaels have blocked 25 shots in three games and average 8.3 blocks per outing. The 8.3 blocks per game currently ranks ninth in the country. Mississippi State averages 13.8 blocks per game to lead the nation. In 2007-08, SMC averaged 5.3 blocks per game to leads the WCC and rank 21st overall in the country.

SAMHAN IN TOP-25 IN THE COUNTRY IN BLOCKS
Through three games, Omar Samhan has a team-high nine blocks to average 3.0 rejections per game. His 3.0 blocks per game leads the West Coast Conference and ranks 18th overall nationally.SAMHAN CLOSING IN ON 500 REBOUNDSIn 67 career games, Omar Samhan had collected 433 rebounds. He is 67 boards shy of becoming the school’s 26th player to eclipse the 500-rebound mark. For his career, Samhan is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.

HUGHES AMONG NATION’S BEST IN STEALS
Following a seven steal effort against Vanguard, senior guard Carlin Hughes leads the team and the WCC with 12 steals to average 4.0 per game. His 12 total steals ranks 12th in the country while his 4.0 steals per game currently ranks fifth in the country.

THE AUSSIE FIVE
This season Saint Mary’s has five Australian players available to play, the most in any year for Saint Mary’s. Currently, the Aussie contingent as averaging a combined 45.5 points per game, with Patrick Mills scoring a team-leading 21.0 points per outing. The 43.7 points per game is 48.4 percent of the scoring for the team this season.

GAELS 12TH IN COUNTRY IN SCORING
Through three games, Saint Mary’s is averaging 90.3 points per game, and nearly broke the 100-point mark with 99 points against Fresno State. After finishing 50th in the country last season (75.7 ppg), the Gaels are currently ranked 12th in the country in scoring this season. SMC has a scoring margin of +25.7

SMC’S 70-POINT SHOW
Last season Saint Mary’s scored more than 70 points 20 times, over 80 points 12 times, hit the 90-point mark four times, and reached 100 points once. When the Gaels scored 70 or more points, SMC was 19-1 last season. SMC has scored over 70 in all three games this season, and has a 3-0 record. SMC as posted a 33-6 record in the last 39 games when scoring 70 or more points.

GAELS DIG THE LONG BALL
Last season SMC made 254 3-pointers and averaged 7.9 made threes per game to lead the West Coast Conference. This season the Gaels have hit 24 3-pointers in through the first three games, to average 8.0 3-pointers made per game. The Gaels have taken 68 threes and the average of 22.6 3-point attempts per outing.

SAMHAN THIRD IN CAREER BLOCKS
Entering the season Omar Samhan had 90 career blocks. He set a SMC freshman record with 47 blocks in 2006-07 and added 43 in the sophomore season. He has a team-high nine blocks this season and now has 99 rejections for his career. He passed both Peter Thibeaux and Chase Poole to move into sole possession of third place behind Brad Millard (153) and Diamon Simpson (183).

GAELS MAKE ONE THREE IN 477 STRAIGHT GAMES
After making six 3-pointers against Vanguard on Sunday night, the Gaels have hit at least one 3-pointer in 477 straight games. Saint Mary’s kept a 16-year streak alive of making at least one 3-pointer. The last time SMC failed to make a three in a game was on Feb. 6, 1992 when the Gaels were 0-for-5 against Gonzaga.

GAELS TO APPEAR ON TV 20 TIMES
The Gaels will appear on television at least 20 times in 29 scheduled games this season. Included in the 20 television games are nine appearances on the ESPN family of networks, nine games are on Comcast Sports Net, and two games on Fox Sports Net. All 14 West Coast Conference games for SMC will be on television. In addition to the regular season games, SMC could appear on television two more times in the WCC Tournament, as the semifinals and final games will be on ESPN.

SMC SIGNS FOUR PLAYERS IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
With the early signing period past, Saint Mary’s inked four players for the 2009-10 season. The new class will include three players from Australia and one player from San Jose. The three Aussies coming from the Australian Institute of Sport are Jorden Page, Matt Dellavedova, and Mitchell Young. Guards Page and Dellavedova averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists and 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, respectively, for AIS in 2008 and forward Young added 9.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24 games. The fourth player in the class is Tim Harris from Valley Christian High School. Harris averaged 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game and was an Honorable Mention West Valley League selection as a junior.

NEXT WEEK IN GAELS HOOPS
Following the 2008 76 Classic, Saint Mary’s will travel to Kent, Ohio to compete in its first true road game of the season. The Gaels will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Thursday, Dec. 4. The game against Kent State is the return game from last season’s ESPNU BracketBusters game, in which KSU defeated the Gaels 65-57 in Moraga. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. Pacific Time from the MAC Center.

Ogivly 10 pts & 8 rebs in Vandy win over Central Arkansas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jeffery Taylor scored 16 points to lead Vanderbilt to an 83-62 victory over Central Arkansas on Wednesday night.

Vanderbilt (3-1) made its first six field-goal attempts and never trailed. The Commodores led by as many as 25 points in the first half and took a 48-29 halftime lead.

"We built a nice lead in the first half and kept our turnovers down," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, said, "but this wasn't the performance that I was hoping for."

Central Arkansas (2-2) opened the second half with an 18-6 run, including five straight points by Mike Pouncy, but could draw no closer than 12 points with 12:31 remaining.

"We didn't play so well in the second half because we lost patience and they held on to the ball," Stallings added. "We didn't play well with a big lead but this is the first time this season that we've been in that situation."

Taylor made 7-of-10 field goal attempts, including a pair of first-half dunks, and matched his career high while scoring in double figures for his fourth straight game.

George Drake scored 14 points and Festus Ezeli added 11, both career highs.

"Both of them got good looks in the game," remarked Stallings. "George played aggressively and made some nice plays. It was good to see him do well because he's been banged up."

Marcus Pillow made five 3-pointers for the Bears for a game-high 17 points. Mitch Rueter added 16 and Pouncy and Chris Brown each had 12. Chris Meriwether also saw the first minutes of his Vanderbilt career in VU's win. A.J. Ogilvy contributed 10 points and 8 boards. Ogilvy is averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds through 4 games.

Ogilvy double-double in Vandy win over Middle Tennesee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A.J. Ogilvy and Jeffery Taylor each had double-doubles as Vanderbilt defeated Middle Tennessee State 65-57 on Monday night.

"I'm a bit more comfortable," Taylor said. "The nervousness before the game is almost gone now. We're a lot more comfortable out there now. I think we're showing that right now we had a great game tonight."

Ogilvy had a game-high 19 points with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Taylor had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his third career game.

Vanderbilt outrebounded MTSU 40-28.

"It's something we focused on all week in practice and watching film from our last game," remarked Ogilvy, "and we came out with the mentality that we were going to own that tonight. I think we did a really good job on the boards."

Jermaine Beal scored the first five points of the game for the Commodores (2-1), who never trailed. They held the Blue Raiders (2-2) scoreless for seven minutes of the first half and stretched a two-point lead to 25-11.

Beal finished with 12 points and four assists.

MTSU closed to 41-35 on Montarrio Haddock's two free throws with 11:25 to play, but Vanderbilt scored the next six points, capped by Taylor's layup.

Demetrius Green led MTSU with 15 points and seven rebounds. Nigel Johnson added 12 points.

"I'm really proud of our team," Kevin Stallings, VU head coach, stated. "I thought they played really hard with a lot more purpose and effort than we had on Thursday night (against Illinois).

"I thought out defensive and rebounding efforts were stellar."