It took a win over Gonzaga, but Saint Mary’s finally got the AP Top 25 ranking it deserves, coming in at No. 23.
The Zags rebounded with a victory over Washington State, marking the Cougars’ eighth loss in their last nine games.
Oregon State, meanwhile, notched its first 20-win regular season since 1989-1990 with wins over San Diego and Pepperdine.
Here’s an update on each team heading into Week 17.
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No. 23 Saint Mary’s (15-1, 25-4)
On Saturday, the Gaels had one of their biggest wins in program history, beating Gonzaga in “The Kennel” on Senior Night.
Saint Mary’s also knocked off Portland on Thursday, which is more impressive than it may appear.
On Saturday, SMC got off to a hot start, capitalizing against the Bulldogs’ “senior night” lineup. The Zags battled back, and the two teams were in a one-point contest with 6:14 remaining.
On the next possession, Mikey Lewis made a four-point play, sparking Saint Mary’s clinching 16-10 run. Lewis led the Gaels with 18 points, and Mitchell Saxen added 16 points and nine rebounds.
The dub clinched back-to-back regular season conference titles for SMC for the first time in program history.
Portland battled Saint Mary’s hard in the first half two days earlier, but the Gaels quickly beat them in the second stanza. Paulius Murauskas led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
SMC closes out its campaign at Loyola Marymount and then hosts Oregon State for Senior Night.
Notes:
– Saint Mary’s has won a share of the conference title in the last three seasons, a program record.
– Mikey Lewis scored a total of 34 points against Gonzaga in the regular season.
– Harry Wessels currently holds the all-time field goal percentage record for the Gaels at 62.7 percent.
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Gonzaga (12-4, 21-8)
Gonzaga posted mixed results last week, but its fan base is likely focused on its Saturday night loss against Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs also blew out their lesser rival, Washington State, on Wednesday.
Against the Gaels, the Zags fell behind 11-0 and didn’t hold a lead the entire contest. Some feel Mark Few might have hurt his team in the opening minutes by giving extended minutes to his “Senior Night” starting lineup, which included his son over Graham Ike.
GU battled back and tied the game with 12:46 remaining. They trailed by only one point with just over six minutes left, but they fell short in the end. Ike led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
On Wednesday, Gonzaga easily handled the Cougars. GU fell behind 8-2 but dominated the rest of the way. Nolan Hickman led the Zags in scoring with 23.
GU needs to move on immediately because they travel to Santa Clara and San Francisco this week, and a loss could knock them off the bubble.
Notes:
– This is the first time Gonzaga has recorded eight losses in the regular season since 2010-11.
– Mark Few has made the NCAA Tournament as a head coach every season.
– Nolan Hickman scored a combined 37 points this week.
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Oregon State (10-6, 20-9)
Oregon State has quietly put together a solid resume this year. With their two wins this week, the Beavers have their first 20-win regular season since 1989-1990.
On Saturday, the Beavs struggled in the first half but found their rhythm in the second against San Diego. They used a 10-0 run at the beginning of the second stanza to take a five-point lead and chilled from there.
Michael Rataj led the way with 29 points. Josiah Lake II added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
On Thursday, Oregon State followed a similar format against Pepperdine. The Beavers had a 38-37 lead at halftime before blitzing the Waves with a 15-5 run to open the second half.
Pepperdine fought back, but two key baskets by Lake II and Liutauras Lelevicius put the game away for OSU. Michael Rataj finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Parsa Fallah chipped in 24.
The Beavs host San Francisco and travel to Saint Mary’s to round out their regular season.
Notes:
– Michael Rataj earned his third WCC Player of the Week award.
– Parsa Fallah is Oregon State’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game.
– Johan Munch had 10 points this week, a career-high of five in both matchups.
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Washington State (6-10, 16-13)
Washington State had a pretty tough week. The Cougars had an opportunity to change the second half of their campaign with a split, but they got blown out in both of their matchups.
They lost to Gonzaga on Thursday and Saturday against Santa Clara.
The Cougs’ performance against the Broncos was troubling, considering they allowed Santa Clara to score 109 points in the outing and a combined 202 points in their two matchups this season.
WSU trailed 61-33 at halftime and could never close the gap. Nate Calmese led the Cougars with 20 points. Ethan Price tacked on 19.
On Thursday, WSU kept the game closer but suffered the same fate against the Bulldogs. The Cougs fielded an impressive crowd against the Zags, but GU proved unphased by the atmosphere.
Washington State never lost contact like they did against SC, but they also didn’t threaten. WSU lost by 21. Lejuan Watts led the way with 19 points for the Cougs.
The Cougars host San Diego and travel to Pepperdine to end their WCC slate.
Notes:
– Washington State has lost eight of their last nine games.
– The Cougars sold out Beasley Coliseum for the first time in 15 years against Gonzaga.
– Dane Erikstrup is WSU’s third-leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game.
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Portland (6-10, 11-18)
Portland has been solid recently, and they played well this week again. The Pilots won a road game against Pacific and played Saint Mary’s respectably.
On Saturday, Portland controlled the entire contest against the Tigers but only won by eight because of a late run by Pacific.
Chris Austin took over in the first half, scoring 20 points on 7-8 from the field. UP broke the matchup open in the second stanza, and Vukasin Masic took over with 16 points.
Against the Gaels, UP played a solid first half and only trailed by eight points at the break. Austin hit two shots at the end of the first half to keep it close.
Saint Mary’s found its rhythm at the beginning of the final twenty minutes and began to pull away. Masic had another solid performance, with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The win moved the Pilots into a tie for seventh place in the WCC.
Portland hosts Pepperdine on Thursday and travels to San Diego on Saturday. A sweep would make their conference record respectable.
Notes:
– Every Portland starter scored in double figures against Pacific.
– The Pilots have won four out of their last six WCC matchups.
– Max Mackinnon leads UP in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game.
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