Saint Mary's 62 - 69 18Gonzaga
Final
  for this game

Saint Mary's visits Gonzaga in WCC showdown

Jan 29, 2009 - 11:21 AM No. 18 Saint Mary's (18-1) at No. 25 Gonzaga (14-4) 11:00 p.m. EST

SPOKANE, Washington (Ticker) -- Gonzaga has owned the West Coast Conference for much of the past decade, but its reign is being challenged this season.

The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs host the nation's hottest team, 18th-ranked Saint Mary's, Thursday with the top spot in the league standings on the line.

Winners of eight straight regular-season crowns, Gonzaga (14-4, 5-0 WCC) is off to a typical start in conference play following a rough go of things during the non-conference slate.

After an uncharacteristic stretch in which they lost four of five to drop from the rankings, the Bulldogs rebounded with an impressive road win over then-No. 25 Tennessee. Since then, Gonzaga has won all five of its conference games by an average of 28.0 points.

Forwards Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye lead the Bulldogs with 14.7 and 13.8 points per game, respectively, and last season's Conference Player of the Year Jeremy Pargo adds 9.2 points and a league-high 5.9 assists per contest.

The Gaels (18-1, 5-0) are in the midst of a school-record 15-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the country. They have won their last three games by an average of nearly 40 points per game after a pair of narrow wins to open the conference schedule.

Australian Olympian Patty Mills is second in the WCC in scoring at 18.7 points per game, but it's a pair of big men that have made the different for St. Mary's.

Diamon Simpson is averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 10.9 rebounds while Omar Samhan almost boasts the same numbers, contributing 13.9 and 9.8 per game.






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