Point guards will have to be on point in final Gonzaga-Saint Mary's regular season meeting

MORAGA, Calif. – When Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s tip off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. inside UCU Pavilion, the 121st—and last guaranteed—regular-season chapter of the West Coast Conference’s marquee rivalry will hinge on two relative newcomers who have grown up fast. Gonzaga sophomore Mario Saint-Supery and Saint Mary’s sophomore Joshua Dent, both first-year starters, will orchestrate offenses that have defined this series for a quarter-century.

Since Mark Few took over at Gonzaga in 1999 and Randy Bennett arrived at Saint Mary’s in 2001, the programs have produced a glittering lineage of point guards: Dan Dickau, Derek Raivio, Nigel Williams-Goss, Josh Perkins, Andrew and Ryan Nembhard for the Zags; Patty Mills, Mickey McConnell, Matthew Dellavedova, Emmett Naar and Augustas Marciulionis for the Gaels. Whether Saint-Supery or Dent ultimately joins that pantheon remains to be seen, but Saturday’s outcome will rest heavily on their shoulders.

Dent assumed the reins after Marciulionis’ departure, and the transition has been nearly seamless. The Melbourne native is averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 39.3 percent from three and an eye-popping 92.8 percent from the stripe—marks that exceed Marciulionis’ 14.2-point, 5.9-assist campaign a year ago. Dent’s 14-point, eight-assist performance in Wednesday’s 86-67 clincher over Santa Clara secured the Gaels the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament and kept them in contention for a share of the regular-season crown.

“Dent wasn’t what he was tonight,” Bennett said, referencing the earlier 12-point loss to the Broncos. “We were much better offensively this game … Hopefully, we’ll do the same against Gonzaga.”

Saint-Supery, still adjusting to full-time duties, logged 25 minutes in the first meeting at McCarthey Athletic Center, finishing with nine points and five assists in Gonzaga’s 73-65 win. Dent countered with 16 points and six boards but committed four turnovers—his only game this season with more than three.

The chess match between the two will be complicated by personnel questions on the Gonzaga perimeter. If Jalen Warley is limited, Saint-Supery could see extended time on Dent, a duty he handled for stretches in Spokane. The Zags’ staff can also throw a variety of defenders at the Gaels’ backcourt, though sophomore shooting guard Mikey Lewis—59 points in his last three outings—adds another layer for the scouting report.

Gonzaga’s recent experience with Australian point guards underscores the volatility of the matchup. Portland’s Joel Foxwell hung 27 on the Zags earlier this month; two nights ago, the same defense held him to 12 in a 41-point demolition. Bennett believes Dent’s early-season “growing pains” are behind him.

“People call it the sophomore jinx,” Bennett said. “It’s just the steps you have to go through to be a really good player.”

With the WCC regular-season title potentially on the line and no future guaranteed date between the rivals, Saturday’s point-guard duel carries historic weight. If Saint-Supery can replicate his Spokane poise or Dent can match his Santa Clara encore, the victor will etch an early signature moment in a rivalry renowned for elite floor generals.