Gonzaga falls to Saint Mary’s after second-half collapse in regular-season finale

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs executed their game plan perfectly against Saint Mary's in the first 20 minutes, playing smothering defense and hitting tough shots to take a 36-29 lead into the locker room.

And then the second half started.

The Gaels came out of the locker room and immediately went on an 8-0 run and never looked back, ultimately cruising to a 70-59 win to earn a share of the WCC regular season title and hand the Zags their third loss of the year.

Paulius Murauskas continued his struggles against Gonzaga, but sophomore guard Mikey Lewis picked up the load for the Gaels, dropping a season-high 31 points - most coming down the stretch in front of a roaring home crowd.

Gonzaga and SMC share the regular season title for the fourth time, but the Zags will get the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament because they secured a better record against the third-place team, Santa Clara, which is the tiebreaker.

Gonzaga will have a full nine days off before their next game on Monday, March 9, which fans will hope gives Jalen Warley enough time to recover from his quad contusion, as his presence would have made a big difference on Saturday night.

Below are three key takeaways from Gonzaga's loss to Saint Mary's in their final regular-season game in the WCC:

1. Crushed on the offensive glass

Saint Mary's came into this game as one of the best rebounding teams in the country, both on the offensive and defensive glass. Meanwhile, Gonzaga is elite at grabbing defensive boards, but hasn't been nearly as good on the offensive side - especially in the last six weeks without Braden Huff.

That's how things played out on Saturday, with the Gaels garnering way more second-chance opportunities, while Gonzaga routinely went one-and-done. Ultimately, SMC finished with 15 offensive boards, compared to just seven for Gonzaga.

Feb 28, 2026; Moraga, California, USA; St. Mary's Gaels guard Paulius Murauskas (23) boxes out Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) during the first half at University Credit Union Pavilion. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

That is an absolute killer against a Saint Mary's team that takes 20-25 seconds off the shot clock nearly every possession - and clear proof why having a healthy Braden Huff and Jalen Warley is crucial for this team entering the NCAA Tournament.

2. Problematic perimeter defense

Possessions are always hard to come by against Saint Mary's, especially if you aren't getting offensive rebounds - so the last thing you can do is let them maximize their chances with the basketball.

Fortunately, Gonzaga did exactly that, time and time again particularly in the second half.

Gonzaga played good defense around the rim on Saturday, but gave the Gaels way too many open looks from three - and they took full advantage by shooting a red-hot 16-33 (48%) from three.

Feb 28, 2026; Moraga, California, USA; St. Mary's Gaels guard Joshua Dent (7) attempts a three-point basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at University Credit Union Pavilion. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Matas Juvenas went 4-6, all in the first half, while Mikey Lewis (7-13) and Joshua Dent (4-6) both went nuclear in the second half - hitting big shots down the stretch to bury the Zags.

It's not the first time perimeter defense has been an issue for Gonzaga this season, and if they don't find a way to contest on the outside more consistently, they'll have a hard time making it back to the Sweet 16.

3. Graham Ike got throttled

Ike was the catalyst for Gonzaga's seven-point halftime lead. He dropped 13 points and shot 2-3 from three, and was great defensively on SMC's 7'0 duo of Harry Wessels and Andrew McKeever.

However, SMC completely shut him down in the second half, holding him to just four points before he ultimately fouled out with four minutes to go. Ike was unable to get any clean looks around the rim and finished with the same number of turnovers (4) as rebounds, while only getting to the free-throw line once.

Feb 28, 2026; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) dribbles the ball up court against the St. Mary’s Gaels during the first half at University Credit Union Pavilion. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Ike has been an absolute monster over the last month - so much so that a 17-point performance on 7-14 shooting is considered 'bad' - but it's also very clear how instrumental he is to this team. This Gonzaga team goes as far as Ike can take them in the big dance, unless Huff is able to make a full, healthy return for this team.