Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s: 3 keys from the Bulldogs’ victory over the Gaels in the WCC Tournament title game
March 10, 2020 Updated Tue., March 10, 2020 at 9:22 p.m.
Offensive MVP
Freshman forward Drew Timme came off the bench and came up big. Timme scored nine points in the final 3 minutes of the first half to help the Zags erase a six-point deficit and take a 42-41 lead at the break. Timme scored 15 of his 17 points in the opening half. He made 7 of 8 shots.
Defensive MVP
Admon Gilder was impressive at both ends of the court. In addition to scoring 15 points, Gilder was strong on defense, including a lengthy shift in the second half on Saint Mary’s scoring machine Jordan Ford that corresponded with the Zags opening up a comfortable lead. Gilder also helped slow down Malik Fitts after the junior’s hot early start.
Key moment
Gonzaga put the Gaels away with a 20-4 burst in the second half. Joel Ayayi and Corey Kispert hit consecutive 3-pointers, and Gilder scored on a nice feed from Filip Petrusev. Gilder’s 3 pushed the Zags in front 78-56 with 4:35 left.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Joel Ayayi (11) drives to the hoop and shoots against Saint Mary’s Gaels guard Jordan Ford (3) and guard Tommy Kuhse (12) during the first half of a West Coast Conference championship basketball game on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at The Orleans in Las Vegas, Nev. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
Local journalism is essential.
Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds.
Follow along with the Zags
Subscribe to our Gonzaga Basketball newsletter to stay up with the latest news.