Madness ahead of March: Saint Mary’s stuns Gonzaga at home to cap historic day of college hoops
Saint Mary's punctuated a historic day in the college basketball landscape with an upset of No. 1 Gonzaga.
For the first time in college basketball history, the top six teams in the Associated Press poll lost in the same day as the No. 23 Saint Mary’s Gaels (24-6) punctuated a day of upsets with a stunning win over No. 1 Gonzaga (24-3).
The Gaels used a nearly flawless first half performance on the defensive end of the floor to secure a 67-57 win in Moraga, where Saint Mary’s is now a perfect 16-0 this season.
Coach Randy Bennett’s team has enjoyed a balanced offensive attack throughout the season and the Gaels once again benefitted from their depth as four players scored in double figures while three others finished with at least six points.
After jumping out to a 36-21 halftime lead, the Gaels survived a strong push at the beginning of the second half from the Bulldogs to notch their 12th WCC win of the season and hand Gonzaga its first conference defeat.
Saint Mary’s impressive defensive effort was reflected in how it shut down Gonzaga’s top performers, junior Drew Timme and freshman Chet Holmgren. Timme entered the night averaging more than 18 points per game while Holmgren has been one of the nation’s top freshman, averaging 14 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game. Against a well-rounded Gaels team, the duo combined for just 12 points and went 5-of-17 from the floor.
Saint Mary’s had lost seven straight to its rivals from the Pacific Northwest, including five straight at home, before stunning the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs had beaten the Gaels handily on Spokane two weeks earlier and had won 34 consecutive conference games, 33 by double-digits.
But Saint Mary’s never let Gonzaga get comfortable, leading from start to finish while winning their fourth straight since that loss to the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga trailed by 16 with 13 minutes remaining and got to 57-50 before Bowen buried a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs responded with four points, but Kyle Bowen made another 3 and St. Francis-Mountain View alum Logan Johnson sank a pair of free throws.
The game drew a packed house at McKeon Pavilion, with scouts from the Warriors, Knicks and Pistons in attendance.
Two nights after thumping San Francisco 89-73, Gonzaga appeared sluggish and out of sync against Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs shot 31% in the first half and were outscored 17-5 over the final seven minutes before the break.
Timme, who was taunted by Gaels fans before the game as he practiced shooting from midcourt, was smothered by defenders every time he got the ball in the paint. Gonzaga’s leading scorer missed all eight shots he took in the first half, was called for a three-second violation in the key in the second half and nearly got hit with a technical after inadvertently tossing the ball near a referee’s head.
Upsets: The best of the rest
Colorado defeated No. 2 Arizona 79-63 in Boulder, Col.
No. 17 Tennessee secured a 67-62 win in Knoxville, Ten. over No. 3 Auburn
Michigan State beat No. 4 Purdue 68-65 in East Lansing, Mich.
No. 10 Baylor took down No. 5 Kansas 80-70 in Waco, Tex.
No. 18 Arkansas earned a narrow 75-73 victory over No. 6 Kentucky in Fayetteville, Ark.
No. 9 Texas Tech also lost, falling 69-66 in Forth Worth, Tex. against Texas Christian.