West Coast Conference Tournament Recap
First Round – Fri., March 4
(5) Pepperdine 91, (8) Loyola Marymount 79
Trailing 46-34 at the break, Pepperdine outscored LMU 57-33 in the second to capture the victory and advance into the second round of the WCC Tournament. Forward Glen McGowan’s 19-point effort led five Pepperdine players in double-figure scoring, and the Waves connected on 30-of-40 shots from the charity stripe, helping them to their fourth win in five games. For LMU, sophomores Brandon Worthy and Matthew Knight combined for 40 in the loss – the Lions’ sixth straight defeat to close out the season.
(6) San Francisco 65, (7) Portland 60
USF converted 18-20 from the free throw line and held Portland to under 38% shooting for the game to secure the Dons a trip to the second round of the tournament. San Francisco trailed by seven, 44-37, with 10:55 to play in regulation. But the Dons put together a timely 21-6 run over the next eight minutes to take the lead and eventually put away the upstart Pilots. San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley and Johnny Dukes poured in 22 and 15 points, respectively, in the win. Portland guard Darren Cooper led all scorers with 23 in the loss.
Quarterfinals – Sat. March 5
(4) San Diego 86, (5) Pepperdine 80
San Diego senior Brandon Gay had a career-high 34 points and Nick Lewis added 17, as the Toreros held off Pepperdine to advance to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. Gay connected on seven of San Diego’s 11 three-point shots in the win, and the team shot 50% from the field on its way to its sixth win in eight games. Pepperdine hung with the Toreros all night long, grabbing 17 offensive boards and forcing 22 turnovers. But the Waves struggled defensively against USD’s starting five, allowing 83 points, 40 rebounds and 20 assists to Gay and company. Waves’ guard Alex Acker had a team-high 31 in defeat, with teammate Glen McGowan chipping in 20.
(3) Santa Clara 67, (6) San Francisco 60
Guards Kyle Bailey and Brody Angley combined for 30 points in Santa Clara’s win, helping the Broncos avenge a pair of regular season losses to the Dons in this second round game. Santa Clara held USF to less than 34% (22-65) shooting on the night, and made 26 of 36 free throws, paving the way for the Broncos into the WCC Tournament semis. Dons forward Tyrone Riley had a game-high 18 points and six boards in the loss.
Semifinals – Sun. March 6
(1) Gonzaga 90, (4) San Diego 74
Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista combined for 49 points, helping the Bulldogs secure their eighth straight trip to the WCC Championship game as well as their eleventh consecutive victory of the season. The ‘Zags jumped out to a commanding 54-33 lead at the half, and coasted the rest of the way in picking up their third win in three chances over San Diego this year. Floyd North came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points for the Toreros, with Brandon Gay and Nick Lewis each collecting 15 in defeat.
(2) St. Mary’s 69, (3) Santa Clara 64
Despite shooting under 31% for the game and trailing 32-29 at the break, St. Mary’s persevered against the feisty Broncos on its way to the finals of the WCC Tournament. Though the Gaels had trouble knocking down shots, they did manage to convert 34-of-42 from the foul line en route to the victory. Paul Marigney and Daniel Kickert amassed 20 and 17 points, respectively, for St. Mary’s, which earned its second straight trip to the conference title game. Guard Kyle Bailey paced Santa Clara with 17 in the loss.
Finals – Mon. March 7
(1) Gonzaga 80, St. Mary’s 67
For the sixth time in seven years, Gonzaga claimed the WCC Tournament crown after ousting St. Mary’s by 13 in the title game. Adam Morrison had a game-high 30 points and Ronny Turiaf added 18 as the Bulldogs knocked off the Gaels in the tournament finale for the second straight season. St. Mary’s held a one-point advantage after the first half, but the ‘Zags opened the second on a 15-3 run and held down the fort the rest of the way to pick up the victory and automatic NCAA Tournament bid. For St. Mary’s, forward Daniel Kickert had 27 points (seven three-pointers) in the loss.
