In Las Vegas, Gonzaga appears to have finally hit its stride at a crucial moment, dispelling doubts about their capabilities which had been questioned despite supportive metrics and favorable odds. Braden Huff made an impressive impact by scoring 18 points during only his second start of the season as Gonzaga triumphed over Saint Mary’s. With this 58-51 victory in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship, the Bulldogs managed to overturn two regular-season defeats by the 19th-ranked Gaels.
Now boasting a 25-8 record, Gonzaga clinched the WCC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. However, both teams were projected to advance to the tournament, regardless of this match’s outcome. “We’ve had an unusually high number of one-possession games,” noted Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “This makes us a captivating seed entering the NCAA Tournament. We were 350th in luck on Kenpom, enduring more banked 3s against us than ever before. Whether it’s the law of averages surface or just senior desperation driving us, our resilience has shone through.”
In addition to the tournament win, Gonzaga gained a measure of redemption for their previous title-game loss to Saint Mary’s, which had snapped their streak of four straight conference championships and 10 in 11 years. Gonzaga extended their unprecedented streak of 18 consecutive 25-win seasons with this victory.
Saint Mary’s, now at 28-5, had a seven-game winning streak halted by the Bulldogs. The Gaels had been victorious in 17 of the previous 18 games. “It’s been a fantastic year for us,” said Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett. “However, we fell short tonight.” Khalif Battle contributed 14 points for Gonzaga, with Graham Ike adding 11 and Ryan Nembhard scoring 10. On the other hand, Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with 20 points but cooled off, scoring only six in the second half, while two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis added 12 points.
Saint Mary’s aimed to become the first team since San Diego in the 1996-97 season to beat Gonzaga three times within one season. However, Gonzaga entered the matchup with a higher Kenpom rating of ninth compared to Saint Mary’s 22nd and was favored by 3 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook. “To win, you need to endure hardships,” expressed Battle. “We’ve been training for this moment, and our preparation paid off as we lifted the trophy.”
In terms of analysis, Gonzaga excelled by committing only four turnovers, in contrast to forcing 18 from Saint Mary’s, including two critical shot-clock violations in the dying minutes. This marked a unique stat for Saint Mary’s, as they became the first ranked team since No. 25 Texas A&M in 2011 to complete an entire game without a single 3-pointer from at least 16 attempts, while also surpassing 18 turnovers.
A key moment came when Marciulionis made a layup with 15:09 on the clock, bringing Saint Mary’s within one point. However, the Gaels went scoreless from the field for the next 7:36, enabling Gonzaga to carve out a 48-42 lead. From a statistical viewpoint, the two teams together hit merely 1 of 31 from beyond the arc, marking the third-lowest combined three-point percentage in the last two decades. Saint Mary’s accounted for all 16 misses in their attempts.
Looking ahead, both teams are now set to discover their NCAA Tournament seeds and placements on Sunday.
