The atmosphere inside the McCarthey Athletic Center was electric Thursday and the game lived up to the hype for 30 minutes. Gonzaga, behind freshmen guards Kevin Pangos (27 points) and Gary Bell Jr. (12 points), pulled away in the final 10 minutes to register a 73-59 victory over first-place Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga improved to 19-4, 9-2 in the WCC. The loss snapped Saint Mary's 12-game winning streak. The Gaels dropped to 22-3, 11-1.

Here's a link to my game story that will run in Friday's S-R. Here's Dan Pelle's photo gallery (highly recommended) and I'll post John Blanchette's column in the a.m. Check back tomorrow for my day-after post.