Saint Mary's guard Aug.as Marciulionis (3) shoots between Gonzaga forwards Ben Gregg (33) and Graham Ike (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Moraga, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
MORAGA — Gonzaga has put together six unbeaten West Coast Conference seasons since 2004. The 23rd-ranked Zags arrived at Moraga on Saturday night determined that Saint Mary’s would not join their exclusive club.
Gonzaga led by as many as 19 points in the first half and handed the 17th-ranked Gaels a 70-57 defeat in the West Coast Conference regular-season finale, their first loss since two days before Christmas.
Saint Mary’s (24-7, 15-1) already had clinched the regular-season title and No. 1 seed into next week’s WCC tournament, but the Gaels were hoping to complete their first-ever perfect conference schedule and extend their nation’s longest win streak to 17 games.
The Zags (24-6, 14-2) squashed those dreams early, using a 14-0 run midway through the first half on the way to a 44-28 advantage at the break. It was the most points the Gaels have allowed in the first half of any game since the semifinals of the 2021 WCC tournament against a top-ranked Gonzaga team.
The Gaels had run roughshod over its previous 16 opponents, outscoring them by better than a 21-point margin. But Gonzaga also found a groove, winning seven straight since a 64-62 loss to Saint Mary’s at Spokane on Feb. 3.
The Gaels’ defense — ranked second nationally, allowing 58.1 points per game — had no answer for the first-half performances of Gonzaga big man Graham Ike (14 points on 6-for-8 shooting) or point guard Ryan Nembhard (13 points on 6-for-7 and six assists).
The Gaels gave the overflow crowd at University Credit Union Pavilion a reason to cheer, showing much more aggression and opening the second half with a 10-0 run. Aidan Mahaney’s 3-pointer punctuated the burst and brought the Gaels within 46-38 with 17:12 to play.
But Gonzaga answered with seven straight points to regain control and Saint Mary’s never got closer than 11 points the rest of the night.
Ike, a junior transfer from Wyoming, strengthened his case for WCC Player of the Year honors, by scoring 24 points — his seventh straight game of 20 or more. Nembhard controlled the action and had 20 points, 10 assists and just one turnover in 40 minutes.
Mahaney scored 16 points for the Gaels, but shot 6 for 19 and had just three points at halftime. Mitchell Saxen had 13 points and Marciulionis contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Gaels committed 13 turnovers (to five for Gonzaga) and could only convert 17 offensive rebounds into 10 second-chance points.
Both teams already had earned byes into the semifinals of the WCC tournament at Las Vegas, meaning they won’t play again until Monday, March 11.
Originally published at Jeff Faraudo