St. Mary's beats Gonzaga to claim the WCC Championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament
Gonzaga's stranglehold on the West Coast Conference Tournament had been especially frustrating for Saint Mary's, the Gaels often seeing their nemesis celebrate at their expense.
Not Tuesday night.No. 21 Saint Mary's led the WCC championship game nearly the entire way to beat No. 17 Gonzaga 69-60 behind Aidan Mahaney's 23 points and Mitchell Saxen's 19 points and 15 rebounds. Gonzaga had won four WCC championships in a row and 10 of 11, with Saint Mary's in 2019 the one year the Bulldogs didn't claim the trophy. The Gaels earned the conference's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, but both sides were certain to make the 68-team field even before tipoff."We beat a good team, a program we've got a ton of respect for," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said.
"We've got a lot to work on on this loss," Watson said. "We're looking forward to the tournament and trying to make some noise there. We can't hang our heads on this."The game was close throughout - Saint Mary's largest lead was 11 points - but the Gaels managed to stay in front almost the entire way.
"It wasn't just one moment," Mahaney said of the turnaround. "We just kept chipping and chipping and chipping and chipping until eventually we broke through. It's not easy. It's a credit to everyone just believing."The Gaels also, at least briefly, ended the Bulldogs' domination of this series.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Brady, Presbyterian women win Big South Tournament, earn program's first NCAA Tournament berthBryanna Brady scored 21 points to help No. 5 seed Presbyterian beat Radford 60-37 to win the Big South Conference Tournament and clinch at automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Read more »
Washington State's NCAA Tournament Berth Secure, But Winning Pac-12 Tournament Not EssentialWashington State's basketball team has already secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament, making winning the Pac-12 tournament unnecessary for their financial benefit. The team's seed in the tournament is still unknown and will impact their chances of success. However, losing in the Pac-12 tournament could benefit another team by boosting their chances of making it to the NCAA Tournament.
Read more »
Patrick Kinahan: NCAA Tournament success required to validate great seasons for BYU, USUPonder this bit of twisted logic: Both BYU and Utah State enjoyed such outstanding regular seasons in basketball to the point neither matter anymore for each team.
Read more »
Morehead State punches ticket to NCAA Men's Basketball TournamentMorehead State is back in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2021 after defeating Arkansas-Little Rock, 69-55, on Saturday.
Read more »
Blackmon's career-high 43 points lead Stetson to NCAA Tournament for first timeJalen Blackmon scored a career-high 43 points, making 14 of 17 free throws, and Stetson defeated Austin Peay 94-91 to win the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament. Blackmon’s and-1 after a tough driving layup gave Stetson an 87-84 lead with 1:11 remaining.
Read more »
Richmond women race to first A-10 Tournament title for 4th NCAA bidMaggie Doogan scored 18 points and Richmond added its first Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title to its first regular-season crown with a 65-51 win over Rhode Island on Sunday, sending the Spiders to their fourth NCAA Tournament. Addie Budnik and Siobhan Ryan both added 14 points for Richmond (29-5), which last went to the NCAAs in 2005.
Read more »