#19/18 Gonzaga (25-6) vs. Saint Mary's (25-7)
TUESDAY, MARCH 12 | 6 P.M. | ORLEANS ARENA | LAS VEGAS
TELEVISION: ESPN
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THE TIP OFF
- Second-seeded Gonzaga faces top-seeded Saint Mary's in the finals of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship at the Orleans Arena Tuesday at 6 p.m. This is the 116th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs lead the series 81-34, winning 26 of the last 32 meetings.
- The Zags are 18-3 against SMC in the WCC Tournament, winning eight of the last nine meetings in the event.
- Gonzaga is 66-16 all-time in the West Coast Conference Tournament with 21 titles and 30 finals appearances, including each of the last 27 seasons. GU has won its opening game of tournament in each of the past 27 years.
- GU has been the No. 2 seed at six WCC Tournaments under Mark Few, going 15-1 with five titles.
- The Bulldogs are coming off their ninth straight win, an 89-77 win over San Francisco in the WCC Tournament semifinals. Nolan Hickman scored 20 points and all five Gonzaga starters scored in double figures.
- The Zags are 19-0 this season when scoring 80 points and 19-0 when shooting 50 percent from the field. GU is 22-0 this season when shooting 30 percent from behind-the-perimeter and 19-1 when making six or more threes.
- Gonzaga leads the West Coast Conference in field goal percentage (51.8, 2nd in NCAA Div. 1), scoring margin (16.7, 4th in NCAA Div. 1), scoring (85.7, 6th NCAA Div. 1), blocks (4.0) and assists per game (16.5).
- GU has clinched its 17th consecutive 25-win season, improving its own NCAA Div. 1 record with 17 straight.
- Few currently boasts the best winning percentage among active head coaches at 83.3 percent, which also is the best in NCAA Div. 1 all-time with a minimum of 10 seasons.
 
ABOUT THE GAELS
- Saint Mary's advanced to its third straight WCC Tournament Championship game after easing to a 79-65 win over Santa Clara in Monday's semifinal. SMC shot 62 percent from the field in the second half. Alex Ducas scored 21 points with seven threes. Mason Forbes added 18 points, while the WCC Player of the Year Augustus Marciulionis had 13 points and six assists.
- Saint Mary's is second in the nation in scoring defense (58.7) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (39.4). The Gaels top the country in rebound margin (11.9) and are sixth in scoring margin (15.7).
- Aidan Mahaney averages a team-high 13.6 points, while Marciulionis adds 12.4 points. Mitchell Saxen averages 11.5 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds.
- Saxen was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, while Randy Bennett was Coach of the Year. Mahaney was First Team All-WCC, along with Marciulionis and Saxen. Ducas was Second Team.
- Marciulionis is second in the WCC dishing out 5.2 assists per outing.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 116th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs lead the series 81-34, winning 26 of the last 32 meetings.
- Gonzaga is 57-14 against SMC under Mark Few.
- The Zags are 18-3 against SMC in the WCC Tournament, winning eight of the last nine meetings in the event. The teams have met in the tournament 13 of the past 15 years.
- The Bulldogs are 27-20 all-time at Saint Mary's.
- In the latest meeting, Graham Ike scored 24 points and No. 23 Gonzaga handed No. 17 Saint Mary's its first conference loss of the season in the regular season finale in Moraga. Ryan Nembhard added 20 points and 10 assists, while Ben Gregg scored 12.
- In the first matchup this season in Spokane, Aidan Mahaney scored 20 points and Saint Mary's rallied late to beat Gonzaga 64-62. Ryan Nembhard had 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead the Bulldogs. Anton Watson had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double, while Graham Ike had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth.
- Gonzaga is 37-11 all-time at home against SMC.
- The Bulldogs won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 94-77, in Spokane in 1955.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga awaits its next opponent and postseason fate with Selection Sunday coming up. The NCAA Tournament selection show is Sunday at 3 p.m.
- Gonzaga has 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, with 25 overall. The 24 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State).
 
TRIPLE BYE IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga has clinched the second seed in the 2024 West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
- The top two seeds earn triple byes in the event to the semifinals on March 11.
- GU has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 11 of the 15 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other four years, GU has been the two-seed.
 
VIVA LAS ZAGAS
- Gonzaga is 66-16 all-time in the West Coast Conference Tournament with 21 titles and 30 finals appearances, including each of the last 27 seasons.
- The Bulldogs are 52-5 under Mark Few in the WCC Tournament with title-game appearances in all 25
seasons.
- The Zags are 33-3 in the WCC Tournament since 2009, when the event moved to Las Vegas.
- GU's three losses in the event in Las Vegas have all been to Saint Mary's, the 2010, 2012 and 2019 finals.
- The Bulldogs were 34-13 in the conference tournament prior to it coming to Vegas.
- The Zags have never lost an opening game of the tournament in Las Vegas, winning all 16.
- Gonzaga has won the opening game of tournament the past 27 years, dating back to a loss in 64-59 in the 1997 quarterfinals to fourth-seeded San Diego as a fifth-seed.
- The Bulldogs are 32-6 in opening games at the event, including 14-6 in the quarterfinals (nine straight wins).
- Gonzaga has won in the WCC tournament semifinals in each of the past 27 years. The Zags last loss in the WCC semifinals was 1994, 83-75, to San Diego in Santa Clara.
- The Bulldogs are 30-2 in semifinal games at the tournament, winning all 16 in Las Vegas.
- Gonzaga is 12-3 in the WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas.
- The Bulldogs are 21-8 in championship games at the tournament.
 
ZAGS WIN 25 GAMES ... AGAIN
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 17 consecutive seasons.
- The Zags have reached the 25-win plateau in 20 of the last 21 seasons, and 24 of the last 26.
- Gonzaga owns the NCAA Div. 1 record with 17 straight 25-win seasons.
 
THE BEST IN THE WEST
- Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have finished in the top two of the West Coast Conference standings in 12 of the past 13 seasons, and 15 of the last 19 seasons. (SMC: second in 2021-22 and 2022-23, fourth in 2013-14 and third in 2006-07)
- The last 23 regular season titles have been won or shared by Gonzaga or Saint Mary's. The Zags have won or shared 21, while SMC has won or shared three.
- The last 14 WCC Tournament titles have been won by either Gonzaga or SMC. GU has 11 of those 14 titles.
- Gonzaga has won nine of the 12 meetings when both teams have been ranked.
 
ABOUT MONDAY NIGHT ...
- Ryan Nembhard finished with 12 assists and no turnovers for the second time this season, and first since the win at San Diego. It again was the most assists by a Zag since his brother Andrew had 14 at Pepperdine on Feb. 16, 2022. It was the most assists by a Zag without a turnover since Andrew had 12 in a home win over BYU on Jan. 13, 2022.
- After leading again by one at halftime over San Francisco, 38-37, the Zags opened the second half on a 25-10 run.
- The Bulldogs made eight of their first nine shots from the field to start the second half.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Ryan Nembhard is four assists away from passing Blake Stepp (2003-04) for third most in a single season in program history.
- Nembhard became the fifth Zag with 200+ assists in a single season:
Josh Perkins (2018-19) - 234
Matt Santangelo (1999-00) - 225
Blake Stepp (2003-04) - 207
Ryan Nembhard (2023-24) - 204
John Stockton (1983-84) - 201
- Nembhard is one assist from 500 in his career.
- Anton Watson is 47 points from passing Doug Spradley (1,427) for 22nd on the GU's all-time scoring list.
- Watson has played 147 games at GU, which is third in program history behind Przemek Karnowski (152) and Josh Perkins (153).
- Watson is 130-17 (88.4) in his career appearances, his 130 wins are third all-time at GU behind Josh Perkins (134) and Przemek Karnowski (137).
- Graham Ike is five points from 1,300 in his career.
- Nolan Hickman has played 100 games in his career.
- Hickman is 13 points from 900 in his career.
 
WHERE WE RANK
- GU is second in the nation in field goal percentage (51.8) and 18th in field goal percentage defense (40.4).
- The Zags lead the WCC in scoring offense (85.7), which also ranks sixth in the nation. GU is fourth in the country in scoring margin at 16.7, which tops the conference.
- The Bulldogs are sixth in the nation in two-point percentage (58.5), led by Ben Gregg who is eighth in the country inside-the-arc at 72.0 percent (54/75).
- Gonzaga is 13th in the country in rebound margin (8.1), and 28th averaging 39.48 rebounds per game.
- Ryan Nembhard tops the WCC in assists per game (6.6), which also ranks eighth in the country. He also leads the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.04).