Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s again clash for crown
Here we go again.
For the fifth straight year tonight at Orleans Arena, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s will play for the West Coast Conference Tournament championship and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. But the stakes are more than getting the WCC multiple bids on Selection Sunday.
Gonzaga, the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, is seeking its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were seeded No. 2 in 2004.
The Zags (30-2) also are seeking to reclaim the WCC tournament championship. Saint Mary’s won a 78-74 overtime thriller in last year’s title game here.
“They’re the defending champs,” Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk said. “We have to dethrone them. They’re not going to dethrone themselves.”
This matchup almost didn’t happen. The second-seeded Gaels trailed sixth-seeded San Diego in Saturday’s semifinals when Saint Mary’s senior Matt Dellavedova hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 10 seconds to play, forcing overtime at 62-62. Saint Mary’s survived, 69-66, to keep its NCAA hopes alive.
“This team is pretty good,” coach Randy Bennett said of his Gaels (27-5). “They stick together. Down three with 17 seconds to go, nobody doubted that Matt wouldn’t make that shot. They’re a tough bunch of guys.”
And no one may be tougher than Brad Waldow, Saint Mary’s 6-foot-9-inch sophomore forward. He had 23 points, 16 rebounds and one lost tooth Saturday, returning to the court minutes after San Diego’s Chris Manresa knocked out one of his front teeth with an elbow midway through the second half.
“It’s just a tooth,” said Waldow, who had a comical moment with Bennett when he tried to hand the displaced tooth to the coach, who refused to accept it as Waldow left the court to get medical attention. “But we knew what was at stake, and we’re going to fight until the end.”
Waldow went to a local dentist after the game and had the tooth fixed. He’ll start tonight but will wear a mouth guard.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few doesn’t know if there will be missing teeth or blood on the court tonight, but he always expects a hard-fought game against the Gaels. During the regular season, the Bulldogs won 83-78 at Spokane, Wash., and 77-60 at Moraga, Calif.
“There’s certainly no secrets,” Few said. “We realize it’s going to be a physical game, and we’re going to have to match or beat the intensity of our opponent. They’re trying to play their way into the tournament, so they’re going to be desperate, and that’s always a dangerous situation.”
Gonzaga has proven adaptable. The Bulldogs were tested in the first half by ninth-seeded Loyola Marymount in Saturday’s first semifinal before pulling away to win 66-48.
“They can handle physical play,” Few said of his squad. “They can handle a slow pace or a fast pace. They can adapt against man or a zone. They’ve played with great poise in a lot of games down the stretch.”
This likely will be the final game against Gonzaga for Dellavedova, Saint Mary’s career leader in points (1,899), assists (750) and 3-pointers (282). He has been in some wild ones against the Zags.
“It’s definitely a fierce rivalry because there’s usually a lot on the line when we play them,” the Australian said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing against them because they force you to be at your best.”
In today’s 1 p.m. women’s tournament final, top-seeded Gonzaga (26-5) goes for its fourth title in five years when it faces second-seeded San Diego (21-8).
Gonzaga defeated defending tournament champion Brigham Young 62-43 in Saturday’s semifinals, and San Diego beat Saint Mary’s, 74-53. ESPNU (Cable 320) will televise the game.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
