GAME NOTES: The Saint Mary's Gaels continue their extended homestand to begin the 2014-15 season, as they play host to the Cal Poly Mustangs in a non- conference affair at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday night.

Randy Bennett's Gaels have enjoyed home cooking thus far, as they are in the fifth installment of a six-game homestand to start the year. Saint Mary's is a perfect 4-0 on the young season and enters this contest off a hard-fought 72-69 victory over UC Irvine last weekend.

Joe Callero's Mustangs are also undefeated at home at 2-0. Unfortunately, the team has played two road games as well this season, coming out on the losing end both times, including a 72-52 rout at the hands of the California Golden Bears earlier this week.

The Gaels have won three straight over the Mustangs to take a 7-6 series advantage. The last meeting also took place in Moraga, an 86-68 Saint Mary's win in 2012.

The Mustangs have struggled offensively this season and come into this matchup averaging a modest 61.0 ppg. The team is shooting a poor .374 from the floor overall, a number weighed down by a mere .279 from behind the arc. Three Cal Poly players come in averaging double digits in scoring, led by Brian Bennett's 12.5 ppg. David Nwaba and Reese Morgan are the other two, chipping in with 12.0 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. What has kept this team afloat is its strong defensive play. Cal Poly is allowing just 60.2 ppg on the year and holds foes well under 40 percent shooting (.377).

Poor shooting did in the Mustangs against California last time out, as Cal Poly delivered on only 34.6 percent of its shots from the floor, including an ugly 3-of-12 effort from long range. Bennett finished with 16 points and six rebounds in the loss. Nwaba came off the bench to post 14 points and five boards, but there was very little scoring help elsewhere.

Offensive efficiency has not been a problem for Saint Mary's, which comes in shooting a scalding .505 from the floor over the first four games. The result is an inflated scoring average of 77.5 ppg. Star forward Brad Waldow has dominated in the early going. The 6-foot-10 senior is shooting a ridiculous .649 from the field and leads the team in both scoring (21.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg). Fellow senior Kerry Carter patrols the perimeter and pours in 16.8 ppg, but also rebounds well for a 6-2 guard (7.8 rpg). Fellow guard Aaron Bright (13.0 ppg) is a viable third option at the offensive end of the floor.

The Gaels didn't shoot the ball particularly well against UC Irvine last time out, but the team stayed unbeaten thanks to another superb performance from Waldow, who went 11-of-21 from the floor, finishing with a game-high 28 points. Carter added 14 points in support for Saint Mary's.

The Mustangs will battle in this one, but their lack of offense will be problematic against a Saint Mary's squad with few issues on that end of the floor.