Recap: Zags perfect conference record spoiled by Saint Mary's
It isn’t March yet, but Saturday’s college basketball slate sure had a maddening feel to it. In a day filled with upsets, five top-10 teams fell on the road ahead of No. 1 Gonzaga’s bout in Moraga with the No. 23 Saint Mary’s.
Unfortunately, the trend would only continue into the night.
With a 67-57 loss to the Saint Mary’s Gaels in Moraga, Gonzaga’s historic conference winning streak was snapped on Saturday. Four Gaels scored in double figures, led by Tommy Khuse’s 14 points.
After enduring the toughest true road stretch of the season, the Zags (24-3, 13-1 WCC) still holds all the cards heading into the conference tournament as the nation’s top team. A loaded nonconference slate, while going against the best competition the WCC has to offer, has translated to an 8-3 record against Quad 1 teams.
For the Gaels (24-6, 12-3 WCC), it would ultimately be a joyous senior night. The program will still be dancing in a few weeks regardless, with an opportunity to boost its current standing with a strong showing in the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed. ESPN’s latest bracketology has SMC sitting as an eight seed in the Midwest, which would be its highest since 2017.
Here's how the Bulldogs were stifled against Saint Mary’s:
DOMINATED INSIDE
If there’s any team in the WCC that isn’t afraid of Gonzaga’s playstyle, it’s Randy Bennett’s band of experienced and savvy bunch. Along with slowing down the pace, a tactic that’s proven somewhat effective, the Gaels took it one step further by taking the battle to the paint with no fear for the nation’s best frontcourt.
Right from the opening tip, Holmgren and Timme were on the ropes down low. The Tommy Khuse-Mattias Tass pick-and-roll powered a quick 8-0 lead in less than three full minutes. The former walk-on meticulously carved Gonzaga’s interior possession after possession, as SMC’s first 10 points came in the paint.
The same couldn’t be said of the Zags’ offense, who struggled to take the lid off the rim against the Gaels’ suffocating interior defense. Any attempt to drive inside was met with multiple defenders, as Khuse and Logan Johnson ate up any penetration with strip steals and pass deflections. Disrupted, Gonzaga’s usual free-flowing offense became a one-dimensional, isolation-heavy mess just minutes into the ballgame. Andrew Nembhard finally got his squad on the board with a tough 3-pointer.
It took three years, but finally, Randy Bennett found an answer to slowing Timme. Any post touch for the junior was met with a fierce double-team that altered the Bulldogs’ floor spacing, making it near impossible to find the open man. Flustered, Timme failed to find any sort of rhythm against the hybrid look, as he missed his first seven shots from the floor before finishing with a season-low six points.
LAST DITCH EFFORT COMES UP SHORT
If there’s any solace to take from in the loss, it’s the fight Mark Few’s bunch showed down the stretch. Despite trailing for double digits throughout, a spurt from Rasir Bolton gave the Zags hope in the second half before ultimately falling short.
A quick 3-pointer and layup in a minute’s time from the former Cyclone marked the first signs of life all night from the offense. Saint Mary’s responded with a 3-pointer from Alex Ducas, followed by a thunderous dunk from Johnson to bring the lead back up to 16 points. Bolton continued to provide a spark, but it wasn’t enough.
LOOKING AHEAD
With a spot in the semifinal secured, Gonzaga can sit back and watch the first two rounds of the conference tournament starting next Thursday. It won’t be until March 7 that the Zags will take the floor again when they’ll likely face off against either San Francisco or BYU.
