NCAA basketball

From staff reports

Montana State would not let Idaho do to it what the Vandals did to Northern Arizona last Saturday. Down by 15 points, Idaho roared back to upend the Lumberjacks 86-76.

After firing off confetti, placing a “Big Sky Champions” sign above the rim like a mantle and trimming the nets nearly all the way off, the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team began the chant: “Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Graham Ike was hot pretty much from the opening tip.

SAN FRANCISCO – Fresh off a standout professional season in the Philippines, Johnathan Williams recently stopped by Gonzaga’s campus to catch a home game and visit with his former college coaches.

Graham Ike

PULLMAN – Shortly before Washington State clashed with USC for the first time this season, an eight-point win early last month in Los Angeles, the Cougars made a decision on their defense.

Lisa Fortier was in tears before Senior Night at McCarthey Athletic Center on Wednesday.

Midway through the first half Saturday against Northern Colorado, Eastern Washington’s hold on first place in the Big Sky Conference standings looked tenuous.

SAN FRANCISCO – Chris Gerlufsen spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of leaving San Francisco’s hostile arena on the Hilltop for one of the marquee games on the Dons’ home West Coast Conference calendar.

The Gaels, on the other hand, are a lock for March Madness.

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco’s Jonathan Mogbo has played his way into consideration for West Coast Conference player, newcomer and defender of the year awards.

The intrigue surrounding Thursday’s Gonzaga-San Francisco game – and GU-Saint Mary’s on Saturday for that matter – is the impact the results could have on the West Coast Conference standings, WCC and NCAA tournaments and conference individual awards.

The West Coast Conference regular-season winds down this week with Gonzaga facing San Francisco, which is just behind them in the standings, before a showdown with first-place Saint Mary’s. We reached out to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Steve Kroner for a closer look at the Dons and Gaels.

PULLMAN – The play that engineered Washington State’s colossal upset of Arizona last weekend, Jaylen Wells’ four-point play from the corner in crunch time, wasn’t supposed to happen.

The Eastern Washington women’s basketball team took care of business last week.

After a deflating West Coast Conference loss at Santa Clara on Jan. 11, Gonzaga coach Mark Few adjusted the starting unit, inserting junior forward Ben Gregg for freshman wing Dusty Stromer. The Zags have gone 11-1 since, the lone loss to No. 17 Saint Mary’s 64-62 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Their offensive statistics have soared with Gregg in the first five.

How special are Senior Nights?

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team’s starting lineup was a foregone conclusion before the 2023-24 season tipped off.