Gonzaga beats Saint Mary's to clinch share of WCC men's basketball title

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's share the league's regular-season crown for the first time since the 2015-16 season

SPOKANE - After late-game heroics helped Saint Mary's come from behind to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs in early February, the Zags narrowly avoided the same fate in Saturday's West Coast Conference regular-season finale at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The No. 15 Gaels (25-6, 14-2 WCC) almost rallied back from a 13-point halftime deficit, but Gonzaga (25-5, 14-2 WCC) held it together in the final minutes to secure a 77-68 victory and shared possession of the WCC regular-season title with Saint Mary's.

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Drew Timme led Gonzaga with 19 points and Anton Watson added 17. The frontcourt pairing made a combined 14 of 22 attempts from the field. 

The Gaels' leading-scorer was Logan Johnson, who had 27 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Freshman point guard Aiden Mahaney, the Gaels' leading scorer, was held to nine points.

Gonzaga's win means the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament will be determined by the highest NET ranking.

The Zags will finish off the regular season against Chicago State on March 5 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Tipoff is 6 p.m. PST.