Zags, Gaels await showdown
Four radio interviews this week, must be a big game coming up.
It'll be a battle for first place tomorrow night in Moraga. A win would give Gonzaga a sweep over Saint Mary's a two-game lead in the loss column. A win by Saint Mary's would leave both teams with one conference loss as the Gaels try to win their third consecutive WCC title.
More on the matchup below.
GONZAGA
RECORD: 23-2, 10-0 WCC
COMING UP: Thursday at Saint Mary’s, 8 (ESPN2); Saturday at
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs can take a huge step toward the regular-season title with a victory. Gonzaga won the first meeting 83-78 behind Kelly Olynyk’s 31 points, Kevin Pangos’ 22 and Elias Harris’ 13. Saint Mary’s didn’t go quietly, outscoring GU 50-37 in the second half and pulling within one point in the closing seconds. Olynyk and Pangos each hit a pair of free throws in the final 13 seconds. The Gaels (21-4, 10-1) have responded by winning nine straight, including senior guard Matthew Dellavedova’s game-winning, 35-foot shot at BYU and fairly comfortable road wins against
Gonzaga has lost three straight to
Here's a notebook item for the S-R Four Corners page on Thursday:
Dellavedova’s impact
Saint Mary’s guard Matthew Dellavedova’s scoring average has dropped from 17.4 in non-conference games to 13.9 in conference. His field-goal percentages have slipped from 46.3 to 39, including 42.1 to 34.3 on 3-pointers, but the Gaels have developed other scoring options.
The first Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s game last month was a prime example. Dellavedova was limited to 14 points, but Stephen Holt scored a career-high 23, Beau Levesque added 14 points in 17 minutes before fouling out and the big-men trio of Brad Waldow, Mitchell Young and Kyle Rowley combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds.
“There have been a number of games where Matt went 4 of 12, even 1 of 13 and we won,” said Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, whose team entertains GU on Thursday. “If you want to keep Matt from scoring you can. It’s just some of the other guys can hurt you and Matt has gotten better at trusting that, too.”
Dellavedova is still the focal point, deftly operating off high ball screens. He played for
“Fortunately we had two really good assistants in Matt and (former Gaels guard) Mickey (McConnell) while these other guys learned what’s going on,” Bennett said. “I laugh saying that, but there’s some truth to it. Those two helped cushion the blow.”
By Jim Meehan
Staff writer
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (23-2, 10-0 WCC) and closest pursuer Saint Mary’s (21-4, 10-1) collide Thursday at 8 at McKeon Pavilion with a ton at stake for both teams.
Gonzaga is trying to reclaim the regular-season title from the Gaels, who ended GU’s run of 11 championships last year. The Bulldogs will continue to climb up the rankings – No. 4 Michigan lost by 23 to No. 8 Michigan State on Wednesday – and could reach rarified air if they avoid a setback in their last six regular-season games. Keep winning and the Zags, currently pegged as a two seed by ESPN.com and CBSsports.com and a three by Foxsports.com, boost their chances of moving up on the seeding line.
“I don’t know when it hasn’t been (for first place) the last 4-5 years,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of the Saint Mary’s rivalry. “The best thing is it’s a big game and it’s the middle of February. That’s what you want your program to be involved with.”
For Saint Mary’s, which shared the league crown with GU in 2011 and swept regular-season and tournament titles last year for the first time in program history, a victory keeps its chances of a third straight title alive. The Gaels sit on the NCAA bubble and desperately need a resume-building win or two. Knocking off Gonzaga could mean a Top 25 ranking.
“The NCAA Tournament stuff, there’s so much more season left,” Gaels coach Randy Bennett said. “What registers is we’re trying to play for a conference championship. We don’t need to find ways to make this bigger because it’s going to be big.”
The GU-SMC rivalry has grown because the Gaels have been able to sustain their run of success while other challengers have come and gone during Few’s 14 seasons as head coach. Saint Mary’s has won four of the last eight in the series. The Gaels made the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2010 (advancing to the Sweet 16) and 2012.
“These games attract a lot of interest because it’s a good game and you don’t know what the outcome is going to be,” Bennett said. “You don’t know for sure.”
There is also uncertainty away from the court. ESPN.com reported in September that the program is being investigated by the NCAA for potential recruiting violations.
In the first meeting last month, Gonzaga played one of its best halves of the season and led by 19 with 14:45 left in the second half. The Gaels mounted a comeback that fell short when 2012 WCC player of the year Matthew Dellavedova missed an open 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
“Their bigs played well in the second half, their guards played well in the season half,” Gonzaga forward Kelly Olynyk said. “We kind of jumped them, put a game plan in that worked really well the first half and they put in some adjustments and we didn’t adjust to their adjustments very well.
“Hopefully we can put together a 40-minute effort.”
Dellavedova had a tough night, scoring 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Gonzaga, protecting a three-point lead, tried to foul Dellavedova before he could attempt his 3 but he eluded Gary Bell Jr.
“We’d take that look any time for him,” Bennett said. “I think Matt knew they were trying to foul him and he kind of rushed the shot a little bit.”
