15Gonzaga 70 - 60 21Saint Mary's
Final
  for this game

Gonzaga comes alive late to top Saint Mary's

Feb 22, 2015 - 5:18 AM Moraga, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - No. 3 Gonzaga needed a late 11-0 run, but Kyle Wiltjer and the Bulldogs secured the WCC regular-season title with a 70-60 win over rival Saint Mary's.

The Bulldogs trailed 60-58 with three minutes to play, but efficient offense and timely stops helped them win their school record 21st straight game.

Byron Wesley tied the score with two free throws, and Wiltjer and Przemek Karnowski made consecutive layups around a pair of Saint Mary's misses to make it 64-60 with a minute left. Karnowski then challenged an Aaron Bright layup, and Wiltjer secured the rebound with 37.7 ticks on the clock. He converted six straight free throws and blocked two shots at the other end to seal it.

Wiltjer finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Karnowski and Pangos netted 14 apiece for the Bulldogs (28-1, 16-0 WCC), who won their eighth in a row against Saint Mary's.

Brad Waldow had 19 and 11 rebounds for the Gaels (20-7, 12-4).

Gonzaga trailed by 11 at halftime, but scored 10 straight to open the second half and make a game of it. Wiltjer and Pangos sandwiched a pair of Karnowski layups with 3-pointers to pull the Bulldogs within 40-39.

Saint Mary's countered with a 9-0 run later in the half to regain a double- digit advantage, but a late Gonzaga flurry set up the climactic finish.

The hosts were hot out of the gate, starting 6-of-8 from the floor to take a 14-4 lead five minutes in.

They didn't cool down as the first half went on. Calvin Hermanson hit 3s to bookend an 8-3 run that pushed the spread to 26-14 near the midpoint. The Gaels' lead grew to 16 points before taking a 40-29 lead into halftime.

Game Notes

Saint Mary's fell to 0-14 all-time against top-3 opponents ... Bright scored 17 points for the Gaels ... Gonzaga shot 8-of-14 from 3-point range.






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