West Coast Finals Recap

(1) Gonzaga 84, (2) St. Mary’s 71
Gonzaga cruised to its fifth West Coast title in six years and 20th straight victory as the Bulldogs clipped the Gaels in the conference finale. ‘Zags forward Ronny Turiaf – named tourney MVP – capped a solid two-game stretch by scorching St. Mary’s for 29 points and 14 boards, while fellow ‘Dawgs, Blake Stepp and Cory Violette, added 19 and 16 points, respectively. E.J. Rowland scored 16 points for the Gaels (19-12, 10-6) in the losing effort.

After Gonzaga’s gut-wrenching one-point victory over Santa Clara the night before, the Bulldogs (27-2, 16-0) appeared fresh and sharp in their championship win. ‘Zaga connected on 53% of its shot attempts (29-55), and held the Gaels’ two leading scorers, Paul Marigney and Daniel Kickert, to just 21 total points on 7-19 shooting. St. Mary’s found itself within five points of Gonzaga early in the second half, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring the next nine points, ultimately sending the Gaels home.

With the win, Gonzaga captures the WCC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament’s field of 65. The Bulldogs, who earned a No. 9 seed in last year’s Dance, are gunning for a top seed this time around.