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GAME NOTES: Like every other team in the West Coast Conference, the Saint Mary's Gaels continue to chase after the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the standings as they face off against the San Diego Toreros in league action tonight at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Still within striking distance of the Zags, even though the squad has already lost twice to them this season, Saint Mary's first has to deal with a two-game slide. The Gaels first bowed to Gonzaga a week ago on the road, 80-61, and then failed to prepare for the University of Portland last Saturday in what turned into an 80-75 overtime loss. The two-game slide is the first of the season for an SMC program that is 8-3 in conference and 21-5 overall.

As for the Toreros, a team that began the season with four wins in five tries, they have fallen on hard times with their current four-game losing streak. San Diego, which has won just once since January 9th, also fell victory to Gonzaga last Saturday in an 82-65 final, leaving the Toreros with a miserable 2-9 conference record and all alone in last place in the WCC.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, a 71-56 win by the Gaels in the first meeting of the season allowed SMC to tie the relationship at 34-34. Saint Mary's used just two players off the bench in that meeting, as Ben Allen registered a double-double for the home team with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Gaels experienced a 24-point swing in their meeting with Portland last week, going from an 11-point edge in the first half to trailing by 13 just minutes after the intermission. In the overtime session, St. Mary's scored a grand total of three points, shooting 1-of-5 from the floor. Mickey McConnell was responsible for a game-high 25 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the field, while Omar Samhan logged a double-double that included 18 points and a game- high 14 rebounds, to go along with four blocked shots before he fouled out. Clint Steindl chipped in 13 points as well. Now that he is the primary focus of the program, Samhan has gone above and beyond his previous numbers with the Gaels, having averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for his career. This season, with 26 starts to his credit, Samhan is averaging 21.5 ppg and 11.2 rpg, making him one of only a handful of players nationally who is averaging a double-double at the moment. McConnell checks in with 13.7 ppg and has combined with Matthew Dellavedova (12.1 ppg) to deliver on nearly 10 assists per contest.

The starting five for the Toreros shot a combined 7-of-22 from the floor and accounted for a mere 18 of the unit's 65 points in the loss to Gonzaga last weekend in Spokane. Handling the bulk of the offense for the visitors was Brandon Johnson who tallied 21 points and cleared eight rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals, while fellow reserve Ken Rancifer tacked on 13 points in the losing cause as well. Johnson, who is usually in the starting lineup for the Toreros, is the top scorer for the unit with his 14.9 ppg this season, but it has taken him far too many shots to reach his numbers. At this stage he is shooting just 36.4 percent from the field and 34.0 percent behind the three-point line, but at least he has done some good at the free- throw line where he is 78.0 percent accurate. The team as a whole is shooting only 41 percent from the field and 35.9 percent on the perimeter, which explains why USD is scoring a mere 62.8 ppg this season.

Getting the Toreros at this point in time is perhaps the best medicine for Saint Mary's as the Gaels try to shake off a couple of tough setbacks and set themselves up for a prime spot in the upcoming conference tournament.