By Mark Anderson
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Braden Huff scored 18 points and Gonzaga avenged two regular-season losses to Saint Mary’s, beating the 19th-ranked Gaels 58-51 in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs (25-8) secured the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though both teams were safely in the field regardless of the outcome.
They got some measure of revenge for losing to the Gaels in last year’s title game, which ended Gonzaga’s run of four conference championships and 10 of 11. Gonzaga also extended its national record to 18 consecutive 25-win seasons.
Saint Mary’s (28-5) had its seven-game winning streak stopped. The Gaels also had won 17 of 18 games.
The teams combined to shoot 1 of 31 on 3-pointers, with Saint Mary’s going 0 for 16.
Khalif Battle scored 14 points for the Zags, Graham Ike added 11 and Ryan Nembhard had 10.
Mitchell Saxen led Saint Mary’s with 20 points but scored only six after halftime. Two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis finished with 12 points.
Saint Mary’s was attempting to become the first team since San Diego in 1996-97 to beat Gonzaga three times in a season. But Gonzaga entered the game with the higher Kenpom rating, ninth to 22nd for the Gaels, and was a 3 1/2-point favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.
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Takeaways
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs committed just four turnovers while forcing 18 that included two shot-clock violations in the closing minutes.
Saint Mary’s: Dominating the boards is a key reason the Gaels won the regular-season title, and their 43-28 advantage kept them competitive.
Key moment
Marciulionis’ layup with 15:09 left brought Saint Mary’s within a point, but the Gaels went the next 7:36 without a field goal as Gonzaga built a 48-42 lead.
Up next
Both teams will find out their NCAA Tournament seeds and destinations on Sunday.
