MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Mikey Lewis made seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points to help Saint Mary’s beat No. 9 Gonzaga 70-59 on Saturday night, giving the Gaels a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title.
Joshua Dent scored 14 points and Mantas Juenaz added 12 as the Gaels (27-4, 16-2 WCC) rallied to their seventh consecutive win and 26th straight at home. It's the fourth straight year Saint Mary's has won at least a share of the conference
title.
Graham Ike had 17 points for Gonzaga (28-3, 16-2) before fouling out with four minutes left. Adam Miller scored 14 and Tyon Grant-Foster added 13 for the Bulldogs, who lost for the second time this season to an unranked opponent.
It was the final regular-season game between the long-time WCC rivals before Gonzaga joins the Pac-12 next season. The schools have been the most dominant teams in the conference for the past two-plus decades, combining to win or share the conference title for the past 27 seasons.
And this one was as thrilling as so many other games between the schools.
Gonzaga had already clinched the top seed for the conference tournament, but the Gaels didn’t go quietly. After trailing by seven at halftime, Saint Mary’s tied it with 11 minutes left — and then pulled away.
Lewis made three 3-pointers and had 11 points as part of a 23-6 run.
The Bulldogs missed seven of their first nine shots and went through a three-minute scoreless stretch while the Gaels stayed close.
Grant-Foster helped the Zags get back on track with six points in three minutes. Graham followed with a quick eight points, including a clutch three-point play,
Gonzaga: The top seed in the WCC gets multiple byes into the conference semifinals on March 9.
Saint Mary’s: The Gaels are the No. 2 seed and also get byes into the WCC semifinals.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
