Saint Mary's Upsets No. 9 Gonzaga

The victory was a landmark moment for Saint Mary's, securing them a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title for the fourth consecutive year. The win also extended the Gaels' impressive home winning streak to 26 games, a program record. For Gonzaga, this was just their third loss of the season. Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis was the undisputed star for the Gaels, erupting for a career-high 31 points. Lewis was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, sinking seven 3-pointers, with the majority of his scoring coming in a dominant second-half performance. His offensive explosion was the main catalyst in overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit. The game was a tale of two halves, with Gonzaga leading 36-29 at the break. However, Saint Mary's came out strong in the second half, starting with an 8-0 run and outscoring the Bulldogs 41-23 in the period. Gonzaga's offense faltered after halftime, as star forward Graham Ike was held to just four points in the second half before fouling out. This matchup was the final regular-season game between the two schools as members of the West Coast Conference, as Gonzaga is set to join the Pac-12 next season. The rivalry has been one of the most intense on the West Coast, with the two programs combining to win or share the conference title for the past 27 seasons. While both teams ended the regular season with identical 16-2 conference records, Gonzaga secured the No. 1 seed for the WCC Tournament due to a tiebreaker. Despite the loss, Gonzaga was still projected as a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, though the defeat jeopardized their chances of securing a No. 2 seed. For Saint Mary's, the major victory was expected to boost their own March Madness seeding, potentially moving them into a more favorable No. 7 seed position.