San Francisco gets redemption in WCC men’s tournament

San Francisco arrived to the West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament as a No. 4 seed last season, with a double bye into the quarterfinals and an inside track to play conference juggernaut Gonzaga in the semifinals.

But the Dons were dismissed by No. 8 seed Pepperdine and spent the 2019-20 season preparing for the tournament before finally ensuring Friday that they wouldn’t be a one-and-done again.

No. 5 San Francisco raced to a 37-26 halftime lead over No. 8 Loyola Marymount at Orleans Arena and rolled to an 82-53 victory and into the quarterfinals. The Dons, who have won four straight, will play Pacific on Saturday for the right to face second-ranked Gonzaga in the semifinals Monday.

“It’s extremely different from last year, for sure,” San Francisco junior guard Charles Minlend said. “We wanted to make sure we’re peaking. We had some ups and downs during the season. … Hopefully this can carry us into tomorrow.”

The Dons returned experienced upperclassmen who remember all to well the feeling of last year’s loss to Pepperdine. They finished the regular season with a 20-11 record, including a 9-9 mark in league play, buoyed by three straight wins to close the regular season.

First-year coach Todd Golden said he thinks his club is hitting its stride, and it showed Friday with what he called San Francisco’s most complete outing this season.

The Dons seized control with a 16-5 run midway through the first half and surged again late to build a permanent double-figure lead. Minlend attacked the rim in halfcourt and transition for the Dons, who were fluid and precise in a poignant display of team work and execution.

Minlend finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with four assists, and teammates Jordan Ratinho and Jimbo Lull scored 12 apiece.

“It’s tournament time, and I thought our guys did a great job of stepping up,” Golden said. “This group has really done an incredible job of coming together. We’re hitting our stride at the right time.”

Pepperdine 84, Santa Clara 73 — Kameron Edwards scored 21 points for the Waves, for whom all five starters scored in double figures. Josip Vrankic scored 18 for the Broncos.

Women

Pepperdine 87, Saint Mary’s 72 — Hannah Friend scored a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting to spark the sixth-seeded Waves. Sam Simons led No. 7 Saint Mary’s with 24 points.

Pacific 67, Santa Clara 49 — Valerie Higgins posted game highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 5 Tigers, who opened with a 15-3 run and led 25-12 after the first quarter. Ashlyn Herlihy led the No. 8 Broncos with 11 points.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.