The Battle of the WCC concluded on Saturday with Gonzaga routing Saint Mary’s by 23 points to remain undefeated in all of D-1 basketball.
If there was any question that No. 5 Gonzaga is having a magical year, the Zags sealed the deal with a 79-56 thumping of the visiting No. 21 Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday night. All eyes were on this matchup because the Gaels are the only team in the West Coast Conference that could pose a threat to the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags proved their dominance with a 23-point win to stay perfect on the season. Gonzaga is now 17-0 overall and 5-0 in WCC play. With the loss, Saint Mary’s falls to 15-2 and 5-1 in the WCC play.
The first half of the game went back and forth between the two rival teams, with Saint Mary’s managing to battle back from an early deficit. The Zags took control of the game and finished the half with a 43-34 lead. The Bulldogs never looked back and maintained the lead throughout the second half.
Nigel Williams-Goss had 19 points and six assists to help lead the Bulldogs to the win. Calvin Hermanson led the Gaels with 12 points while Jock Landale contributed six rebounds. Any lingering doubts about whether or not the Gaels could keep up with the Bulldogs were squashed in tonight’s game. The next meeting of the WCC rivals comes on February 11th when Gonzaga travels to face the Gaels in the friendly confines of McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, California. It’s quite possible that with that win against the Gaels at home, the Zags will seal the deal and finish the season undefeated.
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The big question is how this win will impact Gonzaga’s place in the AP polls on Monday. Gonzaga has some quality wins against Florida and Arizona, but despite their impressive 17-0 start it’s highly unlikely that the Bulldogs will claim the top spot in the polls.