Preview: Pacific Tigers at Saint Mary’s Gaels MORAGA, Calif. (Interstat) — The Saint Mary’s Gaels look to build on a decisive road win and complete a regular-season sweep when they host the Pacific Tigers in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball matchup Thursday night at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels (14-11) enter with momentum after a 72-55 victory at San Francisco on Feb. 7. Saint Mary’s has won two of its last three games. Pacific (9-14) seeks to rebound from a 72-44 loss at Gonzaga that same day, which snapped a two-game winning streak. Saint Mary’s defeated Pacific 60-55 in Stockton on Jan. 8 in the teams’ first meeting this season. A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s top performers. Pacific’s Sydney Ward is coming off a strong all-around performance against Gonzaga, logging 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes. The forward has been a consistent scorer, including a 27-point outing in a win over Santa Clara on Feb. 5. For Saint Mary’s, guard Edie Clarke scored 11 points with three assists in the win over San Francisco. She tallied a season-high 16 points in a narrow win over Pepperdine on Jan. 22. The Gaels have found success at home in conference play, most recently edging Pepperdine and defeating Seattle. Pacific’s road record is 2-7, with its last away victory coming at San Diego on Dec. 30. Saint Mary’s holds a slight edge in the standings and will rely on its defense, which held San Francisco to 33.9% shooting. Pacific, which averages 63.2 points per game, will need to improve upon its 29.4% shooting performance at Gonzaga to challenge the Gaels. Following this game, Saint Mary’s hosts Seattle on Saturday. Pacific returns home to face Oregon State on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.