Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Saint Mary’s looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 32-26 lead against Merrimack.
If Saint Mary’s keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 10-2 in no time. On the other hand, Merrimack will have to make due with a 5-8 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Merrimack Warriors @ Saint Mary’s Gaels
Current Records: Merrimack 5-7, Saint Mary’s 9-2
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: University Credit Union Pavilion — Moraga, California
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $3.16
What to Know
If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Saint Mary’s. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Merrimack Warriors at 10:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at University Credit Union Pavilion. The Gaels will be looking to keep their six-game home win streak alive.
Saint Mary’s fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Boise State on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Broncos by a score of 67-65.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Andrew McKeever, who posted nine points in addition to eight rebounds. He is trending in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for three straight games.
Meanwhile, Merrimack unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 74-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of Stanford.
Merrimack’s defeat came about despite a quality game from Adam Clark, who went 14 for 21 en route to 32 points plus six rebounds. With that strong performance, Clark is now averaging an impressive 21.2 points per game.
Merrimack struggled to work together and finished the game with only seven assists. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as Stanford racked up 16.
Saint Mary’s loss dropped their record down to 9-2. As for Merrimack, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-7.
Thursday’s contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Saint Mary’s has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 42 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Merrimack, though, as they’ve been averaging only 29.9. Given Saint Mary’s sizable advantage in that area, Merrimack will need to find a way to close that gap.
Odds
Saint Mary’s is a big 20.5-point favorite against Merrimack, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 20.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 127.5 points.
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