WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
GONZAGA, SAINT MARY’S AND SANTA CLARA STAND HIGH IN NET AND WAB
Three West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams rank in the top 40 in the latest NET rankings - No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 26 Saint Mary’s and No. 40 Santa Clara. In addition, these same teams stand inside the top 41 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 13 Gonzaga, No. 30 Saint Mary’s and No. 41 Santa Clara.
BULLDOGS STAY IN FIRST PLACE
No. 11 Gonzaga maintained its hold on first place on Saturday with a 71-62 win over Pacific in Spokane. Graham Ike once again led the way for the Bulldogs with 20 points and three blocks. Ike has now scored at least 20 points in his last nine consecutive games.
With one week remaining before the West Coast Conference Basketball Championship, Gonzaga holds a one-game lead in the first place over Santa Clara and Saint Mary's. Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s will square off in Moraga on Wednesday night before the Gaels and Bulldogs renew their rivalry Saturday night, also in Moraga.
GAELS PICK UP TWO ROAD WINS IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Following a close victory against Seattle U, a game that ended with the Redhawks having a chance to tie or win it at the buzzer, Saint Mary’s stayed in the Pacific Northwest and defeated Washington State in Pullman, 83-67. The Gaels outscored the Cougars by 15 points in the second half to pull away for the victory.
Against WSU, Paulius Murauskas notched another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Joshua Dent nailed four of the Gaels’ 10 three-pointers to notch a team-best 22 points.
In true road games dating back to the 2022-23 season, Saint Mary’s is 31-5, the second-best road record among all DI teams during that span. At 25-4 overall this season, the Gaels won 25 games for the sixth consecutive season, excluding the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
BRONCOS TAKE DOWN DONS
Santa Clara set a program record for conference single-season wins with 14 after defeating San Francisco on the road, 94-73. Elijah Mahi took control against the Dons, scoring a career-high 30 points along with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
The program-record 14 conference wins breaks a tie with the 1967-68 and 1968-69 teams that both went on to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Santa Clara’s 23 wins overall this season are tied for the most in the Herb Sendek era. The Broncos are 18-1 this season with scoring 80 or more points.
REDHAWKS PREVAIL OVER PILOTS
John Christofilis scored 14 points, including 12 from three-pointers as Seattle U topped Portland on Senior Night, 71-59. The Redhawks were propelled to victory behind a 21-2 run in the second half. Austin Maurer also scored 14 points with five rebounds. Will Heimbrodt added two more blocked shots to his season total, putting him at 70 for the season. He ranks tied for 10th in the nation in that category. Joel Foxwell scored 20 points with three assists and three steals for the Pilots.
BEAVERS BEAT WAVES BY TEN
Oregon State moved up to the fourth place in the West Coast Conference standings with an 83-73 win over Pepperdine in Corvallis. Six Beavers reached double figures in scoring, led by the 18 points by Josiah Lake II. Lake II added eight assists and five rebounds, as well. Two Beavers recorded double-doubles - Olavi Suutela (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Johan Munch (10 points, 12 rebounds). For Pepperdine, Aaron Clark continued his hot streak with 32 points, three assists and a steal.
LMU TOPS TOREROS IN SAN DIEGO
LMU picked up a road victory at San Diego, 77-65. Jan Vide led the way with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Twenty of his 23 points came in the second half. The Lions shot 57.8 percent from the field, their best percentage against a DI opponent this season, and their 47.1 percentage from three-point distance is their best in conference play.
THIS WEEK’S NATIONAL BROADCASTS
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be featured on national television five times next week, three on CBS Sports Network and twice on the ESPN platform. On Wednesday, LMU hosts Washington State on ESPNU and Saint Mary’s hosts Santa Clara on CBS Sports Network. Both games will start at 8 p.m. Saturday features a CBS Sports Network doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. with Pacific hosting San Francisco followed by Santa Clara hosting Oregon State at 5 p.m. In the final game of the regular season, Saint Mary’s hosts Gonzaga on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
RACE FOR THE REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Four teams are in contention for the West Coast Conference regular season title as we head into the final week. Each program has two games remaining. Gonzaga and LMU are tied for first place at 13-3, while Oregon State is a game behind at 12-4 and Santa Clara is two games behind at 11-5.
Gonzaga and LMU control their own destiny this coming week. The Zags host Saint Mary’s Thursday and travel to Portland Saturday in a 5:00 p.m. game on ESPNU. LMU travels to San Francisco Thursday and continues north to Corvallis Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. game against third-place Oregon State. Gonzaga, LMU and Oregon State each could earn a share of the title or win it outright. Santa Clara’s opportunity to win a regular season title would come via a four-way tie for the championship between the Broncos, Bulldogs, Beavers and Lions.
Seeding information and the bracket for the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship (March 5-10 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas) will be announced this coming Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT.
LMU CONTINUES TO CHASE HISTORY
LMU won its seventh straight and 10th game in its last 11 contests with Saturday’s 74-61 win over San Diego. The Lions are 19-8 overall and 13-3 in the conference. They have matched the program record for most conference wins, initially set in 2003-04. The 19 overall wins are the most since the 19-win campaign in 2017-18.
LMU jumped out to a commanding 22-5 lead after one quarter of play and never looked back en route to the double-digit win against the Toreros. Andjela Matic had 23 points, including five threes, while Maya Hernandez poured in 17 and Jess Lawson added 15 for LMU in Saturday’s win over San Diego.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Redshirt freshman Lauren Whittaker posted her 15th double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Gonzaga’s 85-70 victory over Pacific. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 12 overall. Her 15 double-doubles lead all freshmen nationally and are tied for 13th overall. The national freshman of the year candidate has 551 points on the season which ranks second among all freshmen nationally.
WARD JOINS 30-POINT CLUB
Pacific senior Sydney Ward became the seventh West Coast Conference player to score at least 30 points in a game this season. She registered a career-high 30 points in Saturday’s game against Gonzaga, netting 13 in the fourth quarter alone. Ward was 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. She had 11 free throws in the contest. Ward joins Oregon State’s Kennedie Shuler (31 vs. Pacific), Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker (37 vs. Oregon State), San Diego’s Olivia Owens (31 vs. Washington State), LMU’s Jess Lawson (32 vs. San Francisco) and Oregon State’s Jenna Villa, who has two 30-point games this season – 32 points vs. Pacific and 31 points against Gonzaga.
PEPPERDINE’S OFFENSIVE SURGE
Pepperdine swept the week with double-digit wins over San Diego (76-55) and Santa Clara (80-63). The Waves also earned the season sweep of the Broncos with Saturday’s win. A 28-point opening quarter from Pepperdine gave the Waves an early advantage over Santa Clara Saturday. Ellie Guiney led Pepperdine with her seventh 20-point game of the season. It’s the seventh time this season the Waves have scored at least 80 points in a game.
DONS STORM BACK FOR THE WIN AGAINST THE GAELS
San Francisco erased a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to come from behind and defeat Saint Mary’s, 61-60, in overtime Saturday. Candy Edokpaigbe scored a game-high 28 points and freshman Aina Cargol sealed the win with a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.
BEAVERS KEEP PACE
Jenna Villa and Kennedie Shuler each had 20 points to lead Oregon State past Washington State, 79-51. With the win, the Beavers remain within a game of Gonzaga and LMU for the top spot in the conference.
PILOTS OUTLAST REDHAWKS
Portland got 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals from Lainey Spear to overcome an early deficit and defeat Seattle U, 65-61, Saturday. The Redhawks got another standpoint performance from Ella Brubaker, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in the contest.