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Daye, Gonzaga rout Santa Clara

Mar 9, 2009 - 3:31 AM LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Austin Daye scored a career-high 28 points and Micah Downs had 18 as No. 14 Gonzaga rolled into the West Coast Conference tournament final with a 94-59 victory over Santa Clara on Sunday.

Jeremy Pargo chipped in 16 points for the Bulldogs (25-5), who reached the WCC championship game for the 12th straight year.

Gonzaga will play the winner of Saint Mary's and Portland on Monday in search of its fifth tournament title in six seasons. The Bulldogs lost to San Diego in last year's final.

The nine-time defending regular-season champions gradually built up a lead and then blew Santa Clara away with a 13-0 burst that gave the Bulldogs a 48-26 bulge late in the first half. Pargo made a pair of 3-pointers during the run.

Pargo had 14 points and Daye scored 13 in the opening 20 minutes for the Bulldogs, who were 7-of-12 from the arc in the first half.

It was never a contest during the second half as Gonzaga quickly expanded its lead to 59-31 less than four minutes into the session and maintained a comfortable bulge throughout.

Daye was 10-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from the arc to surpass his previous career high of 25 set against San Francisco on January 17.

Freshman James Rahon scored 20 to pace the Broncos (16-17).