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Saint Mary's Gaels 64, Gonzaga Bulldogs 62: Live updates recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game

Bulldogs fall to Gaels in battle of top two teams in WCC standings

Cole Forsman

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs fell in the final seconds to Saint Mary's, 64-62, in a pivotal West Coast Conference battle in Spokane.

The Gaels (18-6, 9-0 WCC) went on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 60-55 lead with 2:37 left in regulation, as the Bulldogs (16-6, 7-2 WCC) struggled to score down the stretch. Gregg made it a 3-point game with a putback off his own miss.

Augustus Marciulionis nailed a clutch 3-pointer late after Aidan Mahaney apparently saved a loose ball from going out of bounds. A replay showed Mahaney was out of bounds with the ball, but the call stood.

Watson kept the game alive with a 3-pointer in front of Gonzaga's student section, though the Spokane native was fouled for a loose ball foul after Mahaney missed a shot attempt that would've resulted in a shot-clock violation.

Ryan Nembhard led with 18 points, Watson added 16 and Graham Ike had 12 and 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 9-for-27 in the second half.

Adam Morrison on Gonzaga's keys to beating Saint Mary's: 'You have to play at your pace'

Gonzaga is back home on Wednesday against Portland.

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Saint Mary's 64, Gonzaga 62

SECOND HALF:

Saint Mary's 63, Gonzaga 60 (0:05): Watson kept Gonzaga alive with a fall-away 3-pointer in front of Gonzaga's student section. On the next possession, Mahaney airballed a short jumper, resulting in a shot-clock violation, though a foul on Watson was called.

Saint Mary's 63, Gonzaga 57 (0:48): Marciulionis made a big-time 3-pointer to give the Gaels a two-possession lead late. A replay appeared to show Mahaney had stepped out of bounds prior to the shot, but the score counted.

Saint Mary's 60, Gonzaga 57 (1:19): Saxen missed a pair of free throws after getting fouled by Gregg. 

Saint Mary's 60, Gonzaga 57 (2:05): Gregg followed his own missed 3-pointer, snatched the loose rebound and went back up before Luke Barrett was called for a goaltending violation on the putback attempt.

Saint Mary's 60, Gonzaga 55 (2:35): Jefferson silenced The Kennel with a massive 3-pointer at the top of the arc over Braden Huff. That capped an 8-0 scoring run from the visitors, prompting Gonzaga to call its final timeout of the half.

Gonzaga 53, Saint Mary's 52 (5:34): Bulldogs kept the Gaels off the scoreboard for two minutes, as Ike intercepted a pass from Alex Ducas that was intended for Jefferson, leading to a score from Watson in the post moments later. 

Gonzaga 51, Saint Mary's 50 (8:37): Nembhard nailed a floater in the lane to break the seal off the basket for the Bulldogs. Saxen answered on the other end with a layup off an out-of-bounds set.

Gonzaga 48, Saint Mary's 46 (10:50): An old-fashioned rock fight saw neither team put the ball in the basket for nearly three minutes, as the battle in the trenches intensified. Gregg took an elbow to the face on the defensive end before a hard fall out of bounds trying to save a loose ball. 

Gonzaga 43, Saint Mary's 41 (15:06): Nembhard drilled a deep 3-pointer, Gonzaga's second triple of the night, in a back-and-forth exchange to start the second half. Jefferson went to work for the Gaels with three-straight scores, including a wide-open layup on a miscommunication from the Bulldogs.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 34, Saint Mary's 33: Hickman converted on a runner on Gonzaga's final possession of the half to take a 1-point lead into the locker room. Nembhard scored nine points over the final eight minutes to finish the half with a team-high 12 points. Mahaney and Saxen each had nine points for the Gaels.

FIRST HALF:

Gonzaga 30, Saint Mary's 29 (2:42): A stretch of good offense from both sides has seen each side make its last three shots. Saxen benefited from easy scores inside, while Nembhard got downhill for another and-one opportunity for the Bulldogs. Nembhard hit Watson on a pick-and-roll, who then flipped it to Huff on a hockey assist.

Gonzaga 18, Saint Mary's 17 (7:41): Back-to-back 3-pointers from Mahaney sparked an 8-0 scoring run for the Gaels. Nembhard got the Bulldogs the lead back with a drive and score over Marciulionis. Gonzaga scored 12 of its first 18 points in the paint.

Gonzaga 14, Saint Mary's 7 (11:53): Hickman drove inside and finished an acrobatic layup through contact from Harry Wessels, resulting in a 3-point play for the Bulldogs. Jefferson got the Gaels their first field goal at the 13:42 mark in an and-one finish over Stromer. Gonzaga started 6-of-11 from the field, Saint Mary's missed 11 of its first 13 attempts.

Gonzaga 7, Saint Mary's 2 (15:46): Things got physical early between the two WCC rivals. Gregg picked up his second foul going for an offensive rebound, while Watson and Nembhard each got one while trying to fight for defensive rebounds. 

Gonzaga 7, Saint Mary's 0 (17:03): Ike got right to work, first with a post hook to get Gonzaga on the scoreboard first, followed by a thunderous two-hand dunk courtesy of an alley-oop pass from Hickman. The Gaels missed their first eight shot attempts. Nembhard was assessed a flagrant 1 foul on a boxout attempt. 

'This is a resume builder for Gonzaga and Saint Mary's': Bulldogs-Gaels matchup features NCAA Tournament implications

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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