The No. 18 Saint Mary’s men, now unbeaten for two months, just keep figuring out ways to win. The Gaels (23-6, 14-0) have won 15 in a row and clinched at least a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season championship after an 88-62 win over San Diego on Saturday night.
They played the past three games with a different look after the loss of sophomore starting power forward Joshua Jefferson, shelved for the rest of the season by a knee injury. So far, it hasn’t mattered a bit.
Fifth-year senior Alex Ducas and senior center Mitchell Saxen made sure the Gaels didn’t skip a beat. Over those three games, Ducas averaged 18.0 points, including 13 for 19 from the 3-point arc — a stunning 68.4 percent success rate. Saxen scored at a 17.3 clip, making nearly 58 percent of his shots from the field in those three games.
Ducas, who normally plays on the wing, is seeing some time at power forward. At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, he is strong enough to effectively defend the position and the matchup he creates when the Gaels have the ball provides an edge. “We’re kind of hard to guard with him at the 4,” said Gaels’ head coach Randy Bennett, suggesting that Ducas is “the best version of himself he’s been.”
The Toreros saw Ducas at his best. He was 6-for-7 from 3-point distance, accounting for all 18 of his points. “When he gets an opening, it’s money,” San Diego head coach Steve Lavin told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Early in the year, he had some struggles, but he’s found his way and now is shooting as well as anyone in the country from long range.”
That may well be true. Over the past 12 games the West Australia native is converting 57.8 percent from the 3-point line and has boosted his scoring average three points. There’s a reason the improvement.
Ducas injured his back last year in the Gaels’ loss to Connecticut in a second-round NCAA Tournament game. The Huskies went on to win the national championship but Ducas struggled with his back for months, even into this season, when he made less than 33 percent from deep over the first 17 games.
“It’s pretty tough to come back from an injury like that,” Ducas told the Chronicle. “You always think, ‘If I’m playing the game, then I’m back to fully 100 percent.’ It’s not that case always. You have to get the reps and be patient with yourself and allow yourself to get back to where you were.”
He’s there now, and the confidence he has as a 40-percent career 3-point shooter has returned. “I say to myself and my teammates always say to me, it only takes one to get me going. I never miss two in a row. That’s my saying to myself every time I do miss: It’s never two. The next one’s always good.”
LAST WEEK’S BIG THING: The Gonzaga women got a jump on next season when senior forward Yvonne Ejim announced Thursday she will return for a fifth year in 2024-25. She shared the news with fans in a video played during player introductions before a 74-48 win over San Francisco. “I’m definitely super excited,” Ejim said. “It’s definitely one I’ve sat with for a while. I’ve been thinking about it since last year. I wanted to make sure I was taking in all the factors. I know I made the best decision for me.” Head coach Lisa Fortier said Ejim’s decision reflects how players feel about the program. “It’s just an honor to have players who want to stick around,” she said. “We try to make it a place where they can stay as long as they can.”
THIS WEEK’S BIG THING, PART I: The Saint Mary’s men (23-6, 14-0) can clinch their first outright WCC regular-season title in 12 years with a win on Thursday when they the visit Pepperdine (12-18, 5-10). Winners of 15 straight games — best in the nation — the Gaels can also secure their first-ever unbeaten record on the road for a full season. They have won their first eight games on the road. How rare is this? Every other team in the country this season has at least two road defeats and 14 teams are winless on their opponents’ floor. “Records are cool,” Ducas said, “but I’d rather go undefeated and win the championship.” The Gaels beat the Waves, 103-59, on Feb. 15 in Moraga.
THIS WEEK’S BIG THING, PART II: The No. 16 Gonzaga women (28-2, 15-0) can wrap up their first unbeaten WCC season since 2010-11 by beating Pacific Northwest rival Portland (17-11, 9-5) on Wednesday in Spokane. Head coach Lisa Fortier’s teams have completed four one-loss WCC schedules but perfection has eluded them. Unbeaten in 22 games since Nov. 26, the Zags’ 28 victories are the most of any women’s or men’s team in the country.
NO. 2 SEED STILL UP FOR GRABS: While Saint Mary’s has secured the top seed in the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship, March 7-12 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, the No. 2 spot and the accompanying triple bye into the semifinals remains at play this week.
Second-place Gonzaga (22-6, 12-2) and third-place USF (22-7, 11-3) will duel Thursday at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The game tips off at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Zags won the first meeting, 77-72, in Spokane on Jan. 25, powered by 22 points from Graham Ike.
The Santa Clara women (22-7, 10-4), picked by the coaches to finish in a tie for third in the WCC, aspire to clinch the No. 2 seed in their bracket over Portland, holding a one-game lead over the Pilots currently.
ZAGS’ WATSON BID ADIEU: The Gonzaga men closed out their home schedule Saturday with a 94-81 win over Santa Clara, which also served as the final appearance at The Kennel by fifth-year senior forward Anton Watson. The 6-foot-8 power forward will finish his career as the only Gonzaga player with at least 1,000 career points, 700 rebounds and 200 steals.
He has a 127-17 win-loss record — the second-most wins by any Zags player — and is the program’s last player to be part of the team’s run to the 2021 NCAA championship game.
“It comes up a lot, everyone says I’m a true Zag,” said Watson, who grew up in Spokane. “I feel like that’s the best compliment anyone can give me, just to embody what it means to be a Zag.”
ACES FROM THE 3-POINT ARC: Gonzaga’s Brynna Maxwell and Santa Clara’s Olivia Pollerd rank 1-2 in the WCC and 5-6 in the NCAA in 3-point percentage. Their numbers are virtually identical: Maxwell is 83-for-184 for 45.11 percent and Pollerd has made 82-of-182 for 45.05 percent.
Among women nationally who have made more than 61 baskets from 3, Maxwell and Pollerd sit atop the heap.
TIP-INS: Guard Aidan Mahaney of Saint Mary’s had 15 points, a career-high seven assists and, for the ninth time this season, zero turnovers in the Gaels’ win over San Diego . . . After putting up 30 points against San Diego, Santa Clara sophomore Tess Heal is averaging 25.0 over the past five games and 19.1 for the season . . . USF’s Debora dos Santos, who leads the WCC in rebounding at 10.6 per game, has assembled 15 double-doubles, tied for 11th best in the nation.