Gaels' Dellavedova questionable vs. Murray State

Saint Marys, which entered the week ranked No. 21 in the AP poll, could be playing considerably short-handed at the guard position on Saturday when they play a high-profile game at 16th-ranked Murray State.Coach Randy Bennett said junior guard Matthew Dellavedova as "questionable" for the Bracketbuster game (ESPN, 3 p.m.) against the guard-powered Racers while appearing on 95.7 The Game on Friday morning.Dellavedova, a leading candidate for West Coast Conference player of the year, sustained an ankle sprain in the Gaels' 75-60 loss to Loyola Marymount on Thursday. The Gaels are 23-4 overall entering the non-conference game against Murray State."He might be able to play in this game, but I don't know it's the smart move long term," Bennett said. "The two games next week are conference games (at Portland and San Francisco), and they're more important in the conference race and where we're seeded in our conference tournament."One thing I don't want to do is bang him up any more. He might not be able to go. If he's not all the way, there, I'm probably not going to play him."Guard Stephen Holt sustained a right knee injury against Loyola and did not make the trip to Murray State. Holt told Comcast SportsNet that he sustained a partially torn medial collateral ligament and bone bruise. He is expected to miss at least two weeks. Doctors have informed Holt that an injury of this nature normally takes six weeks to heal.
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Dellavedova, one of 11 national finalists for the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, leads Saint Mary's with averages of 15.7 points and 6.4 assists in 37 minutes per game. Holt ranks third on the team at 10.8 points. Holt is also the team's best perimeter defender.The only healthy guards listed on the Gaels' roster are Jorden Page, who averages 8.3 points a game, and redshirt freshman Zach Sanchez, who has played seven minutes all season.Murray State (25-1) is strong at the guard position behind 6-foot Isaiah Canaan (19.2 points per game) and 6-3 Donte Poole (14.2).