For much of night, it appeared No. 3 Gonzaga was on the way to its seemingly annual road loss in the WCC. The Zags often run into trouble at least once a year on the road, and with Saint Mary’s building a 17-point lead, it looked like Saturday might just be that night.
No. 3 Gonzaga rallies back to avoid upset at Saint Mary’s
The Bulldogs trailed much of the night, but pulled it out late.
Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs, however, proved that 2015 may just be different. Despite trailing for more than 35 minutes, the Zags’ depth and overall talent eventually prevailed. Gonzaga didn’t take its first lead until there was less than four minutes to play. Yet despite digging a big hole, Gonzaga pulled away during the final minutes to avoid the road upset and continue on the path to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Mary’s were in complete control during the first half. The Gaels wasted no time jumping into the lead and went up by as many as many as 17 points. Saint Mary’s held a double-digit lead for much of the first half and went into the break leading by 11 at 40-29.
Gonzaga stormed back quickly in the second half, needing less than three minutes to trim the Gaels lead from 11 to a single point. Saint Mary’s, however, took all the punches Gonzaga could throw early on and held their own.The Gaels slowly built back their lead, going up by nine with 6:22 to play. That’s when Gonzaga made a second big flurry, and this time Saint Mary’s didn’t have enough to withstand. Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run and eventually took the lead for the first time all night.
From there, Kyle Wiltjer took over. Fresh off a 45-point outing, Wiltjer was huge in the final two minutes. In the final two minutes, Wiltjer scored eight points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. He simply dominated both ends as Gonzaga closed the game on a 12-0 run.
Brad Waldow was huge inside for Saint Mary’s, doing his best to match up with a deep Gonzaga team in the post. Waldow controlled the matchup for solid stretches as he posted a double-double and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He went quiet late, however, and the Zags stormed back.
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