Saint Mary's Upsets #9 Gonzaga

The victory for Saint Mary's was monumental, snapping a long-standing pattern of Gonzaga's dominance in the West Coast Conference. While the two teams have shared the WCC regular-season title before, this win marks the fourth consecutive year that the Gaels have claimed at least a share of the crown. The win also extended Saint Mary's impressive home winning streak to 26 games, one of the longest in the nation. Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis was the undeniable star of the game, pouring in a career-high 31 points. This offensive explosion was a significant step-up from his season average of 13.4 points per game. Lewis was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, draining seven three-pointers and consistently hitting crucial shots to keep Gonzaga at bay. For No. 9 Gonzaga, this loss marked just their third of the season, dropping their record to 28-3. The defeat has significant implications for their NCAA Tournament seeding, potentially dropping them from a projected No. 2 or 3 seed down to a No. 4. The Bulldogs struggled with their shooting in the second half and were unable to contain the hot hand of Lewis. This game was the final regular-season WCC matchup between the two storied rivals before Gonzaga departs for the Pac-12 conference. Over the past 29 seasons, Gonzaga has won or shared the WCC regular-season title 25 times. The rivalry has been tightly contested in recent years, with the teams splitting their last ten matchups heading into this game. Despite the loss, Gonzaga will enter the WCC Tournament as the No. 1 seed due to a tiebreaker, with Saint Mary's securing the No. 2 seed. Both teams will receive byes into the semifinals, setting the stage for a potential rematch in the conference championship game.