Aidan Mahaney scored 23 points as Saint Mary’s beat Gonzaga 69-60 to win the West Coast Conference tournament title. Mitchell Saxen added 19 points and 15 rebounds for Saint Mary’s who have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Augustas Marciulionis registered 13 points and eight assists for the Gaels, who won the conference tournament for the first time since 2019.
Anton Watson had 18 points and seven rebounds for Gonzaga which led for just 22 seconds while seeing its nine-game winning streak come to an end. Ryan Nembhard had 13 points and 11 assists and Graham Ike added 10 points for the Bulldogs, who played in their 27th WCC tournament title contest. Gonzaga has won 20 of those.
This was the 12th time in 16 seasons that St. Mary’s and Gonzaga had played in the championship game. Gonzaga holds an 8-4 edge in these encounters.
Gonzaga will more than likely receive an At-Large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The announcement will be held Sunday March 17, 2024.
Photo Credit – West Coast Conference
