WCC Basketball Fans

Saint Mary’ 73 Gonzaga 71

For the first time in head coach Randy Bennett’s successful tenure at St. Mary’s, the Gaels were victorious over rival Gonzaga at the McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane Washington. The Gaels remained undefeated in West Coast Conference play while handing head coach Mark Few’s Bulldogs their third consecutive conference lost. The drama was delivered by guard Mickey McConnell, who’s floating runner with hit the bottom of the net with just two seconds left in regulation to break a 71-71 tie and give the Gaels a heart racing victory.

Gonzaga got off to a great start, extending its lead to as many as 9 points in the first six minutes. St. Mary’s answered and from that point it was truly a back-and-forth contest between two evenly matched ball clubs as they traded the lead a number of times during both halves.

With the Gaels leading by one points with under 30 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs fed the ball to big man Robert Sacre. The Gael defense was up to challenge, forcing Sacre into bad shot. On the other end, Mitchell Young hit one of two free throws to give St. Mary’s a two point lead. The Bulldogs answered with two Marquise Carter free-throws to tie the score with ten seconds remaining. Enter Mickey McConnell and his flair for the dramatic. It might not have been a textbook game-winner, but the Gaels will surely take the end result.

McConnell finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists on the night. He also scored 10 of his team’s final 11 points on the evening. McConnell was 10-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-5 beyond the arc. The Gaels shot 48 percent on the evening and made 8 three-point attempts. Matt Dellavedova and Rob Jones each had 15 points for the Gaels.

The Gonzaga big men were unable to find their shooting touch all night. Sacre was 4-of-13 while Steven Gray was just 6-of-14 on the evening. Both scored in double figures but could never put the kind of stamp on the game that their team needed. Elias scored 17 points on 7-of-11 from the field and Sam Dower added 15 points in just 17 minutes of play. Both squads were nearly identical in each and every statistical category and in the end, it was the individual heroics of the St. Mary’s guard that made the difference. McConnell played the entire 40 minutes, but the most memorable moment for the guard from Mesa Arizona will be when the clock struck zero.

Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writer