Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s key matchup: Gaels junior guard Logan Johnson has been on a roll

The first time Gonzaga faced Saint Mary’s guard Logan Johnson on Jan. 16, he was averaging 10.7 points. By the second clash on Feb. 18, he was up to 11.6. Johnson sports a 13.4 average as the Zags and Gaels square off in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior turned it up during the conference season to become Saint Mary’s leading scorer. His creativity and playmaking ability have been big for an offense that sometimes struggles to score.

Johnson has scored in double figures in nine straight games, including a 25-point effort against Loyola Marymount on Saturday.

“Logan had the quietest 25 I’ve ever seen,” coach Randy Bennett said. “I would have thought he had, like, 14. He hit some really big shots at the end of the clock at different times. On a pretty balanced team, he’s been our leading scorer and he’s continued to grow in that role. We don’t a run of ton of stuff to him, but he finds a way to make buckets and usually sticks a 3-pointer or two.”

Johnson had mixed results against Gonzaga – 25 points on 8-of-20 shooting. He’s made just 24% from distance, but he’s at 56.7% inside the arc and he finds a way to get to the free-throw line (74%, team-high 84 attempts).

The Zags have a variety of defensive options, but Johnson can expect to see Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Cook and Corey Kispert at times when Gonzaga switches on screens.