It was an up-and-down week in the WCC last week.
The Zags bounced back with a pair of wins while Saint Mary’s, Oregon State, and Washington State all split.
Portland suffered a lopsided loss.
Here’s a rundown of the five teams heading into Week 14.
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Saint Mary’s (11-1, 21-4)
Saint Mary’s had mixed results this week, winning against Oregon State on Saturday and losing against San Francisco on Thursday.
Against the Beavers, the Gaels were focused coming off their first conference loss and suffocated Oregon State into submission.
SMC’s defense took control of the game early, and Augustas Marciulionis did everything else. Marciulionis scored 16 points in the first half and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, ten assists, and four steals.
The Gaels held the Beavers to their lowest-scoring output of the season, 49. This is only the second time OSU has been beaten on its home court this season.
On Thursday, Saint Mary’s lost a tough matchup against their cross-Bay rival, the Dons. The game proved to be a tight affair, with SMC holding an 11-point lead midway through the second half.
San Francisco went on a run from there, but ultimately, the game ended with a missed Mikey Lewis three as time expired on the Gaels final possession.
SMC hosts Washington State on Saturday and Santa Clara tonight.
Notes:
– Paulius Murauskas is Saint Mary’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points per game.
– Augustas Marciulionis scored 33 points in the first half this week.
– Ashton Hardaway is the son of former NBA Player Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.
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Gonzaga (9-3, 18-7)
After a concerning month, Gonzaga was able to grab two much-needed victories this week. The Bulldogs won both of their games in blowouts, knocking off Pacific on Saturday and Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
The Zags led the entire game against the Tigers except for the first 21 seconds. GU took a 15-point lead into the break and put the game away swiftly in the second half.
They led by 28 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Braden Huff led the squad with 17 points.
Against the Lions, the Bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm and trailed with just under 10 and a half minutes to play. Gonzaga then went on a massive 28-5 run and took a decisive lead from there.
GU ended up winning by 20 points, a solid win for the Zags. LMU entered the contest having won five in a row, and a loss for Gonzaga would’ve been catastrophic.
Khalif Battle led the Bulldogs with 24 points. GU hosts San Francisco and Pepperdine this week. With a win, Gonzaga can leapfrog the Dons for second place.
Notes:
– Ryan Nembhard broke Gonzaga’s assists in a season record for the second year in a row.
– Graham Ike leads the Zags in scoring with 17.0 points per game.
– Khalif Battle is 6th in the nation with a free throw percentage of 93.20.
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Oregon State (7-5, 17-8)
Oregon State suffered a tolerable loss against Saint Mary’s on Saturday and got a nice victory against Washington State on Thursday.
On Saturday, the Beavers faced off against an angry Gaels squad coming off their first conference loss. OSU scored the first four points of the matchup, but Saint Mary’s controlled the game the rest of the way.
The Beavs did a good job keeping the score close but couldn’t get over the hill. Isaiah Sy led Oregon State with 10 points.
The Beavers played a solid game against the Cougars throughout. The Cougs jumped out to an early lead, but OSU responded quickly, closing the gap to one point at the break.
Oregon State started the second half by scoring seven straight points and taking an early six-point lead. The Beavers’ lead was cut to one with just over four minutes left.
Michael Rataj took over down the stretch, hitting two key shots to help OSU secure the victory.
The Beavers’ schedule lightens up a bit this week as they travel to Portland and then host Pacific.
Notes:
– Isaiah Sy scored 19 points this week, his best total since the opening week of conference play.
– Oregon State has nine international players on their roster representing eight countries.
– Nate Kingz is Oregon State’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.0 points per game.
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Washington State (6-7, 16-10)
Washington State broke its five-game losing streak on Saturday with a phenomenal last-second victory against Pepperdine. On Thursday, the Cougars struggled a bit, falling against Oregon State in Corvallis.
WSU’s win against the Waves saved their season from falling off the road. The Cougs were trailing by five points with 79 seconds before going on a 9-1 run.
LeJuan Watts made a pivotal layup with 11 seconds left to give the Cougars their first lead since the opening minutes of the matchup.
Ethan Price blocked Pepperdine’s final three-point attempt on the game’s final possession, securing a one-point win for Washington State.
Against the Beavers, WSU led early but couldn’t make enough big plays in crunch time. The Cougs only trailed by one point with 4:06 left. Nate Calmese led Washington State with 25 points.
The Cougars only have one game against Saint Mary’s this week, and a win would add credibility to their resume.
Notes:
– LeJuan Watts leads Washington State with 7.9 rebounds per game.
– Nate Calmese scored a combined 41 points this week.
– WSU’s communications program is named after the late Edward R. Murrow (Murrow College of Communication).
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Portland (3-9, 8-17)
Portland only played one game this week, but it proved rough. On Thursday, the Pilots lost to Santa Clara by 47 points.
The Pilots played solid early and trailed by only 10 points at halftime, but things turned in the second stanza.
UP’s downfall was its poor shooting at the beginning of the second half, which allowed the Broncos to pull away. The Pilots never found their rhythm again, shooting 6-37 in the second half.
The score looks bad, but Santa Clara is a squad that has already beaten Gonzaga this season. Chris Austin led the Pilots with 12 points.
The key for UP is how they respond this week. They play two teams of similar caliber, Oregon State and Loyola Marymount.
The Pilots are not at the same level as Saint Mary’s, but if they’d like to advance to the next tier of the conference, they’ll need to be competitive against the high-mid-level programs.
If UP could get a split this weekend, it would be a nice boost to their confidence. Their schedule gets easier down the stretch.
Notes:
– Max Mackinnon leads Portland, averaging 13.4 points per game.
– Austin Rapp’s Brother, Ryan Rapp, plays for the University of Hawaii.
– Chris Austin has scored ten points in six out of the last eight games.
