WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
THREE TEAMS REMAIN UNDEFEATED AT 4-0
No. 7 Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara all remain perfect in conference play thus far, each at 4-0. Not only that, but all three teams are winning in convincing fashion. In conference games, all three rank nationally inside the top-25 in margin of victory - No. 8 Santa Clara, No. 19 Gonzaga and No. 21 Saint Mary’s.
It wasn’t easy on Friday for the Bulldogs, though, as they had to make a late comeback to send Friday night’s clash with Seattle U into overtime before emerging victorious, 80-72. Despite being unable to hold on for the memorable win, the Redhawks got strong performances once again from Brayden Maldonado (17 points, five assists, four steals) and Will Heimbrodt (10 points, 12 rebounds).
On Sunday, Gonzaga defeated LMU convincingly, 82-47. The 47 points allowed are the second fewest allowed in a conference game by a West Coast Conference team this season and tied for the ninth fewest in the nation in conference games. The Bulldogs are currently enjoying a nine-game winning streak.
Saint Mary’s, winners of the last six in a row, defeated Portland at home, 78-57, before another convincing victory at home over Seattle U, 93-76. Saint Mary’s is allowing just 63.2 points per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. Paulius Murauskas leads the West Coast Conference in scoring at 19.3 ppg in overall games and tops the league in scoring in conference games (21.5 ppg). He recorded his third double-double of the season when he scored 30 points with 15 rebounds in the win over the Redhawks.
The Broncos left no doubt with their two wins this week, topping Pepperdine, 82-63, and San Diego, 98-70. In conference games, Elijah Mahi ranks fourth in the West Coast Conference in scoring at 16.8 ppg, but it was Christian Hammond who stuffed the stat sheets in the two victories this week. Hammond collected 20 points and six rebounds against Pepperdine and 21 points with four rebounds against San Diego. Santa Clara is 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 1997-98 when the Broncos won their first five straight.
SIX TEAMS INSIDE THE TOP 115 IN THE NET
Six West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 115 in the latest NET rankings as of Sunday morning - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 25 Saint Mary’s, No. 72 Santa Clara, No. 105 Seattle U, No. 110 San Francisco, No. 111 Pacific.
FUCHS FORCES DONS TO TWO WINS THIS WEEK
San Francisco improved to 3-1 in conference play thanks to the efforts of David Fuchs and Ryan Beasley. Fuchs has earned double-doubles in two of his last three games. In USF’s 73-68 win over Portland, Fuchs scored 15 points with 10 rebounds. In conference games, Fuchs is averaging 9.25 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the West Coast Conference as one of only three players to average over nine rebounds per game in conference play. Beasley has reached double figures in scoring in his last five games, including notching 14 points with six rebounds and four assists in the win over the Pilots.
RALPH CONTINUES TO ROLL FOR TIGERS
Pacific improved to 2-2 in conference play behind the continued consistent play of Elias Ralph. Securing double-doubles in three of his last four games, Ralph also scored over 20 points in both games this week. He scored 24 in the 84-53 win over Oregon State before garnering a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Tigers’ 74-69 win over Pepperdine. Ralph owns four double-doubles this season, tied with Andrew McKeever of Saint Mary’s for second after the nine by Gonzaga’s Graham Ike.
COUGS CORRAL TWO WINS IN PULLMAN
Washington State held serve on the home court this week, narrowly defeating LMU, 78-76, and later topping Oregon State, 81-67. In the win over the Lions, LMU’s Jan Vide led all players with 28 points, but the Cougars had four players reach double figures in scoring, including ND Okafor who scored 14 and added four blocks on the defensive end.
NEXT WEEK
West Coast Conference basketball will appear on national television three times this week, once on ESPN and twice on CBS Sports Network. Both unbeaten in conference play thus far, Gonzaga hosts Santa Clara on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Also on Thursday, San Francisco heads to LMU at 8 p.m. On Saturday, Saint Mary’s hosts Washington State at 2 p.m.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
UNDEFEATED OREGON STATE ALONE ATOP THE CONFERENCE
Week two of the conference slate is complete with every program having played at least three games so far. At 3-0, Oregon State is the lone team without a loss in conference play. The Beavers, who had a bye in the conference schedule on Sunday, have won five straight overall. They earned a convincing 81-61 win over Pacific in their conference home opener Friday thanks to Jenna Villa’s career-high 32 points. Villa, last week’s conference player of the week, became the first Oregon State player to score at least 30 points in a game since 2022.
There are four one-loss teams right behind Oregon State in the standings as Santa Clara, Gonzaga, Portland and San Francisco are all 3-1 in conference play.
FORTIER FASTEST TO 300 DIVISION I WINS
Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier earned her 300th career win on Friday night in the Zags’ 85-59 victory at Seattle U. Fortier, in her 12th season as the head coach at Gonzaga, became the fastest active Division I head coach to reach 300 Division I wins. She reached the milestone in her 379th career game, matching the number of games it took LSU head coach Kim Mulkey to earn her 300th career victory.
LAWSON DROPS CAREER-HIGH 32 AGAINST DONS
LMU’s Jess Lawson scored a career-best 32 points in the Lions’ defeat to San Francisco in overtime Sunday. She connected on 11 field goals and was 10-of-13 from the free throw line to go along with nine rebounds in the contest. Lawson is averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on the season. In the last three contests, the guard is averaging 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. Lawson posted 21 points and seven rebounds in LMU’s victory over Santa Clara on Friday.
Villa’s and Lawson’s 32-point performance Friday and Sunday, respectively, were the first two 30-point games by a West Coast Conference player this season. The last 30-point performance by a West Coast Conference player came from Anaya James of Pacific in the quarterfinals of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship on March 9, 2025. The 32 points by Villa and Lawson are the most by an individual in a game since Naudia Evans of LMU had 37 against Washington State on Jan. 25, 2025.
BRONCOS TOP BULLDOGS IN SUNDAY THRILLER IN THE BAY
A matchup of the conference’s top two teams in the NET in No. 62 Santa Clara and No. 70 Gonzaga did not disappoint Sunday afternoon, as the Broncos outlasted the Bulldogs, 77-73, at the Leavey Center. Santa Clara led from the first quarter on, but the Bulldogs kept it close throughout and cut the lead to one with under two minutes remaining.
Santa Clara’s balanced scoring attack included four in double figures, led by 17 each from Sophia Glancey and Kylee Fox. Ashley Hawkins, the West Coast Conference leader in assists at 6.2 apg, finished with 11 assists without a turnover on Sunday. She added 16 points for her first double-double as a Bronco.
It was Santa Clara’s first win in five tries against Gonzaga (last win was Feb. 2, 2023 also at the Leavey Center). Santa Clara improved to 13-4 on the year and 2-1 in the conference, its best start since the 2001-02 season. This was the first time the Broncos won by less than 10 points this season.
USF OUTLASTS LMU IN OT
After defeating Santa Clara Friday, LMU was on the doorstep of its second win of the weekend with a three-point lead over San Francisco in the final minute of Sunday’s game. Aina Cargol of USF had other ideas though. She connected on a game-tying three-pointer with 21 seconds to play to send the game to overtime. Cargol scored six points in the overtime period – all on free throws – and corralled a key rebound off an LMU miss in the final seconds to help secure the win for USF.
PORTLAND’S DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE LEADS TO PAIR OF WINS
Portland defeated Washington State and Pacific, holding the Cougars to 49 points and the Tigers to 52. On Friday against WSU, the Portland defense forced 25 turnovers and held the Cougars to 36 percent from the floor overall, including 17 percent from beyond the arc. On Sunday, Portland limited Pacific to 26.7 percent from the floor and forced 22 turnovers. Rhyan Mogel has recorded four steals in each of Portland’s last three games. Freshman Julia Dalan registered five blocks in Sunday’s win over the Tigers. It was her fifth game this season without at least five blocks.
SPEAKING OF DEFENSE
Saint Mary’s was also dominant defensively on Sunday. The Gaels held San Diego to 49 points in a 57-49 win over the Toreros. It was the sixth time this season Saint Mary’s has held its opponent under 50 points in a game. The Gaels are the conference’s top defensive team, with opponents averaging just 57.1 points per game against SMC.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Two games and two more double-doubles for Gonzaga freshman Lauren Whittaker this week. She followed a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in Friday’s win at Seattle U with 21 points and 13 rebounds Sunday against Santa Clara. Whittaker’s seven double-doubles this season leads the nation among freshmen. The forward is nearly averaging a double-double on the season, leading the conference in scoring (19.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg).
LOOKING AHEAD
Week three begins Thursday with five games on the slate, featuring a Bay Area rivalry between a pair of 3-1 teams in Santa Clara and San Francisco at 6 p.m. on the Hilltop. A matchup of the regular season co-champions from last year headlines Saturday’s four-game slate, as Portland visits Gonzaga at 2 p.m. The Pilots and Zags, both 3-1, will have extra time to prepare for the game, as both are off on Thursday.