Gonzaga crushes Saint Mary's to win 4th straight WCC Tournament title
LAS VEGAS - After splitting a pair of suspenseful regular-season matchups, Saint Mary's and Gonzaga's rematch in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship had a much more lopsided result.
The No. 9 Zags (28-5, 15-2 WCC) demolished the No. 16 Gaels (26-7, 14-3 WCC) 77-51 on Tuesday at Orleans Arena.
The win marks Gonzaga's fourth consecutive WCC Tournament title and the 21st in program history. It also earns the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Drew Timme led the Zags with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, while also corralling six rebounds and dishing out two assists.
Timme became Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer after making a post hook midway through the first half. He surpassed Frank Burgess' career mark of 2,196 points in a Zags uniform.
The senior forward's record-breaking bucket was part of a 14-point display he delivered in the first half, which helped the Zags jump out to a 37-19 lead before the intermission.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few removed Timme early in the second half, with the game well out of reach for the Gaels.
Still, the Zags didn't take their foot off the pedal, expanding their lead until it reached 26 points when the final buzzer sounded.
Aside from Timme, three other Gonzaga players finished in double digits, including Malachi Smith with 14 points, Nolan Hickman with 12 and Julian Strawther with 10.
Logan Johnson was the Gaels' top scorer with 20 points, followed by Alex Ducas, who scored 10.
Even without an automatic bid, the Gaels are still expected to be seeded in the NCAA Tournament after sharing the WCC regular-season title with Gonzaga.
The 68-team field and bracket for March Madness will be announced during the Selection Show on Sunday at 3 p.m. PST.
