West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Notebook

by Brad Best

With very little changes in the standings, the West Coast Conference is separating the contenders from the pretenders. Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount continue to anchor the top two spots, while San Diego and San Francisco duke it out for third. Saint Mary’s is starting to make a little noise, having won three of its last four and taking Gonzaga to the final buzzer in Spokane. Gonzaga and San Diego are the only two teams with winning overall records and conference records in the WCC.

Gonzaga (20-3 overall, 9-0 WCC) Last week, 2-0.
Gonzaga survived the week with two wins, but were tested in both games. The Saint Mary’s Gaels gave Gonzaga all it could handle and are starting to hit their stride. On Saturday, a hungry Stanford team came in looking for a big win over a ranked opponent. Gonzaga overcame a five-point halftime deficit and outplayed the Cardinal down the stretch. Adam Morrison scored 13 of Gonzaga’s final 14 points. He did it all on both sides of the ball, getting a key block on the defensive end and knocking down three-pointers and free throws to secure the victory.

Loyola Marymount (11-13, 8-2) Last week, 2-0.
In what appeared to be a battle for second place, the Lions blew traveled to San Diego and blew out the Toreros 94-76. This was their most impressive conference victory and gave them some much need separation from the pack. On Saturday, they needed an overtime period to get revenge over Pepperdine, who handed them their only non-Gonzaga conference loss of the season. Gonzaga has looked a little vulnerable lately, especially on the defensive end, so look for the Lions to take a hard run at them in Spokane on Friday, February 17.

San Diego (16-7, 6-4) Last week, 1-1.
Winners of five of their last six, the Toreros bounced back from an embarrassing home loss to Loyola Marymount to beat San Francisco on Saturday afternoon. Senior Nick Lewis, who averages 17 points per game, managed just 8 points against LMU and was held scoreless against San Francisco. His disappearing act has to have Coach Brad Holland concerned. The Toreros continue to get good bench production from big men Nir Cohen and Gyno Pomare, who have helped to fill the scoring void. The Toreros may have to settle for a split in their final four games, which would open the door for San Francisco to finish ahead of them in third place.

San Francisco (9-14, 5-5) Last week, 1-1.
The Dons have picked a bad time to go cold. Having dropped three of their last four, the Dons need to turn things around quickly to secure a seed in the top half of the conference tournament. Their next two homes games should be winnable. They’ll have a chance to revenge their Saturday night loss to San Diego on Monday in front of their home crowd. Then they’ll rest up before taking on Santa Clara the following week.

Saint Mary’s (11-11, 4-6) Last week, 1-1.
The Gaels have made a nice turnaround of late, posting three victories in their last three games. They had Gonzaga on the ropes but couldn’t deliver the knock-out blow. That said, they appear to be hitting their stride and this young team could be a tough out during the conference tournament. Their remaining schedule should set up pretty well for them, so with any luck they should finish above .500 overall and right at the .500 mark in conference.

Pepperdine (7-15, 3-7) Last week, 0-2.
Just when you think the Waves are getting on a roll, they drop two in a row and fall back into the bottom ranks of the conference. Both games were on the road and both were close, but losses are losses at this point. The Waves will continue to fight hard under Coach Paul Westphal. With only a home game against Portland on the schedule for this week, the Waves should be able to start a new winning streak. The bad news is they still have to contend with Gonzaga once more and they need to win out if they want to salvage a .500 season.

Portland (8-15, 2-7) Last week, 0-1.
The Pilots only had one game on their schedule last week, and it was an 80-56 pummeling at the hands of last place Santa Clara. So they kept alive their five-game losing streak in bold fashion. Darren Cooper is back from injury and in the lineup, but his 20 points weren’t enough to stop Travis Neisen and the Broncos from having a brief moment in the sun.

Santa Clara (9-13, 2-8) Last week, 1-1.
Except for looking really good against Portland, the Broncos have looked pretty bad for quite some time. But now their seven-game losing streak has come to an end, let’s see if they can finish the season on a high note. They have a chance to avenge their Saturday night loss to Saint Mary’s on Monday. After that, they have two road games before finishing the season at home. Don’t look for any miracles here.