‘You know there’s some studs.’ Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s features high-caliber play at key positions

MORAGA, Calif. – Saturday’s college basketball ticket featured a handful of compelling storylines, with high-end matchups between Top 25 opponents, juicy rivalry games and one SEC reunion that stood apart from every other game – at least as far as television ratings are concerned.
Those who stayed up to catch a late-night showdown between Gonzaga and longtime West Coast Conference nemesis Saint Mary’s seemingly got the best of all worlds, with four all-conference shoo-ins competing in front of a standing room-only crowd at UCU Pavilion.
Thrilling finish? Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s had that as well, with the Gaels pulling ahead for good in the final minute to secure a 62-58 victory and take a three-game lead at the top of the WCC standings.
“When I was coming into this game tonight, you’re a little – not nervous, very respectful,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “You know it’s going to be a tough game but you know there’s some studs. These are two good teams. I feel like we have a good team and I feel like they had a really good team. So it was just cool walking in.”
Gonzaga generally has the advantage at two positions, with the nation’s assists leader, Ryan Nembhard, manning the point guard spot and steady veteran forward Graham Ike guaranteeing 20-point production for Mark Few’s team most nights.
Saint Mary’s counters with reigning WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis at point guard and sturdy senior Mitchell Saxen, the league’s defensive player of the year, at center.

There may not have been another game on Saturday’s loaded slate that produced the caliber of the play from four players at those two spots than highly anticipated WCC nightcap.
Nembhard and Marciulionis were responsible for 21 assists, with Gonzaga’s veteran floor general delivering 12 of his team’s total and the Saint Mary’s point guard dishing out nine more. Nembhard also edged out Marciulionis in the scoring column, 11-9, but he was also responsible for four turnovers – two more than his counterpart from Saint Mary’s.
Marciulionis only played 32 minutes due to foul trouble on a night that Nembhard didn’t leave the floor. It was the first time GU’s point guard played all 40 minutes of a regulation game since the team’s final nonconference test against UCLA.
“Nembhard’s a ridiculous point guard,” Bennett said. “I know our guy’s good, too, and they’re going at it.”
A touted battle between the WCC’s most decorated bigs delivered on most fronts as well.
Ike was the game’s scoring leader with 24 points, but nothing came easy for the senior on a night he made 10 of 19 shots from the field and finished under his season field -goal clip of 63% – a number that leads the WCC.
Even though he wasn’t a scoring threat much of the evening, the Gaels’ Saxen was an efficient 4 of 5 from the field while scoring his 11 points. He also had a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked a pair of shows before fouling out with 3 minutes, 53 seconds remaining.
Ike had eight rebounds and got the ball with a chance to knock down a game-winner with two seconds remaining. The forward’s 3-point shot fell short of the rim, allowing the Gaels to ice the game on the other end at the free throw line.
“Ike’s one of the best ones in the country, so he gave us problems. But Saxen’s good, too, and thank goodness we had Harry (Wessels) too. We had to have two to stand him up. So yeah I was excited to be just part of this game.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few had compliments for both of his players, who figure to join the Saint Mary’s duo on the 10-player All-WCC First Team for the second time in as many years and possibly challenge Marciulionis and Saxen for the individual awards they took home last year.
“They were our two best players,” Few said, “so in a big game that’s how it works usually.”