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St. Mary's still reeling without Mills

Feb 21, 2009 - 2:33 PM No. 23 Utah State (25-2) at St. Mary's (21-5) 5:00 p.m. EST

MORAGA, California (Ticker) -- St. Mary's once-promising season has gone down the tubes.

Things won't get any easier for the Gaels on Saturday when they host Utah State, a team that is cruising toward the NCAA Tournament.

St. Mary's surged into the top 20 in the national rankings after starting the season 18-1 and winning each of its first five games in the West Coast Conference ahead of a January 29 showdown with then-No. 25 Gonzaga - which had won the regular-season league title each of the last eight seasons.

After giving the defending champions all they could handle in the first half, Gaels leading-scorer Patrick Mills fractured a pair of bones in his right hand, which could keep him out for the rest of the regular season.

Without Mills, St. Mary's endured a 69-62 setback to the Bulldogs. That was the first of four losses in five games and the team's chances of making the NCAA Tournament have virtually vanished.

The Gaels, however, have bounced back with consecutive wins in their last two games, including a 65-61 victory over San Diego on Wednesday.

Winning a third-straight game could prove difficult for St. Mary's as the Aggies have just two losses this season and come in off a 78-57 triumph over Cal State-Bakersfield on Tuesday.

Utah State's victory came four days after it had a 19-game win streak snapped in a 66-56 loss to Boise State last Saturday.