THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

Ford scores 26, No. 20 Saint Mary's edges Wisconsin in OT



Saint Mary's got a familiar test from Wisconsin's defense at an unfamiliar venue.

Jordan Ford scored 26 points, Malik Fitts added 16 and the 20th-ranked Gaels hung on to beat Wisconsin 65-63 in overtime in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175202

 

Petrusev leads No. 8 Gonzaga over Ark-Pine Bluff 110-60

Gonzaga forward Filip Petrusev knows that the team's first two games were against lesser opponents, and that the road will get tougher pretty quickly.

Petrusev scored a career-high 25 points on 9-for-10 shooting as No. 8 Gonzaga beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 110-60 on Saturday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175206

 

Petrusev leads No. 8 Gonzaga over North Dakota 97-66

Gonzaga had no tape of North Dakota to study, so coach Mark Few said his staff improvised on the fly.

Filip Petrusev had 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots as eighth-ranked Gonzaga used a superior inside game to beat North Dakota 97-66 on Tuesday.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175210

 

No. 8 Gonzaga cruises by Texas A&M for 79-49 victory



-Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge each scored 16 points, and No. 8 Gonzaga routed Texas A&M 79-49 on Friday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401169828

 

Ford has 21 points, No. 18 Saint Mary's tops Cal Poly 79-48



Saint Mary’s didn’t have much defensive energy early. Once they got it going, the Gaels were hard to stop.

Jordan Ford scored 21 points, Malik Fitts added 12 and No. 18 Saint Mary’s beat Cal Poly 79-48 on Sunday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401171562

 

Woolridge leads No. 8 Gonzaga over Texas-Arlington 72-66

The Gonzaga crowd roared when Killian Tillie was announced in the starting lineup Tuesday night.

It boomed again when Tillie sank a 3-pointer for the Zags' first points.

"It felt good," said Tillie, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds as No. 8 Gonzaga held off Texas-Arlington 72-66.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401174720

 

Petrusev leads No.8 Gonzaga over Bakersfield 77-49

Gonzaga freshman forward Drew Timme didn't like a recent trend where the No. 8 Bulldogs started slowly in games against Texas A&M and Texas-Arlington.

"We've started off slow and given some teams hope," Timme said. "Good teams don't do that."

Gonzaga got out quickly on Saturday night and pounded Cal State Bakersfield 77-49.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175215

 

Kispert, No. 8 Gonzaga top Southern Miss 94-69 at Atlantis



The shots started falling again for Corey Kispert. It was a welcome sign for No. 8 Gonzaga, especially considering the uncertain status of one of its top players.

Kispert broke loose from a brutal three-game shooting funk to match his career high with 28 points and hit seven 3-pointers as the Zags beat Southern Miss 94-69 in Wednesday night's first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Joel Ayayi added a career-high 21 points to go with 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (7-0), who had no trouble against a team picked to finish last in Conference USA.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170518

 

No. 8 Gonzaga tops No. 11 Oregon 73-72 in OT at Atlantis


Mark Few knows his Gonzaga team is banged up as its fights through the Battle 4 Atlantis. So far, at least, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs have done enough to earn a trip to the tournament’s championship game regardless.

Drew Timme hit a free throw with 20.6 seconds left in overtime and Gonzaga survived Payton Pritchard’s shot for the win to beat No. 11 Oregon 73-72 on Thursday.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401183481

 

Ford's 27 points lead Saint Mary's past Utah St. 81-73



Jordan Ford scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half and sparked a run of 11 straight points late in the game to lead Saint Mary's to an 81-73 victory over No. 15 Utah State on Friday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401173677

 

Kispert leads No. 9 Gonzaga over Texas Southern 101-62

Joel Ayayi found out Wednesday morning he would be in No. 9 Gonzaga's starting lineup, replacing Admon Gilder.

After two years of coming off the bench, he wanted to make an impression.

"I've got to be aggressive," the sophomore from France said. `'It's been two years. Obviously, it's been hard."

Ayayi had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help Gonzaga beat Texas Southern 101-62.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175220

 

No. 9 Gonzaga uses late 3s to beat No. 22 Washington 83-76



One glance at the shot clock told Killian Tillie there was no choice. He had to launch the jumper 30 feet from the basket.

When the shot left Tillie’s hand, it felt just like a normal 3-point attempt, even if he was almost closer to half-court. And the result? “

“It felt good. It was cash,” Tillie said.

The senior forward hit the key 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:55 remaining and finished with 15 points, Joel Ayayi hit another 3 with 24 seconds left that served as a capper, and No. 9 Gonzaga held off No. 22 Washington 83-76 on Sunday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170617

 

No. 6 Gonzaga withstands late run to beat No. 15 Arizona



Sixth-ranked Gonzaga was at its efficient best at both ends of the floor through most of the second half, building a 15-point lead over No. 15 Arizona, ready to cruise to an easy victory over a tough road opponent.

Then the shots stopped falling. So did the free throws. Gonzaga committed a couple of key turnovers. Arizona had the crowd roaring with each basket. The lead was down to two in the closing seconds.

Any other team might have folded under the pressure. The veteran Zags kept their poise, pulling out a victory in one of college basketball's toughest road environments.

That's a sure sign of a veteran, resilient team.

Corey Kispert scored 18 points, Filip Petrusev added 16 and Gonzaga held on for an 84-80 win on Saturday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170623

 

No. 6 Gonzaga withstands late run to beat No. 15 Arizona



Sixth-ranked Gonzaga was at its efficient best at both ends of the floor through most of the second half, building a 15-point lead over No. 15 Arizona, ready to cruise to an easy victory over a tough road opponent.

Then the shots stopped falling. So did the free throws. Gonzaga committed a couple of key turnovers. Arizona had the crowd roaring with each basket. The lead was down to two in the closing seconds.

Any other team might have folded under the pressure. The veteran Zags kept their poise, pulling out a victory in one of college basketball's toughest road environments.

That's a sure sign of a veteran, resilient team.

Corey Kispert scored 18 points, Filip Petrusev added 16 and Gonzaga held on for an 84-80 win on Saturday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170623

 

No. 2 Gonzaga leaves North Carolina blue after 94-81 victory



Corey Kispert turned, put his hands out and gave a little shrug as he jogged back down the floor after his fifth 3-pointer of the night.

Gonzaga's do-everything junior forward picked a memorable night in the history of Zags' basketball to have maybe the best game of his career.

“It was just one of those times when you were in the zone. ... I knew it was in when I let it go,” Kispert said. “It's hard not to play with emotion in this place, the fans get you hyped up and pumped up and I kind of just let it show.”

Kispert scored 26 points, Filip Petrusev added 20 and No. 2 Gonzaga rolled past North Carolina 94-81 on Wednesday, handing the Tar Heels their fourth straight loss.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401168261

 

No. 2 Gonzaga Basketball Top Plays vs. North Carolina C. Kispert 26 pts F. Petrusev 20 pts

 

No. 2 Gonzaga pounds Eastern Washington 112-77, eyes No. 1

Coach Mark Few of No. 2 Gonzaga has a thought on how to prevent so many No. 1 teams from losing this season.

While there is a good chance Gonzaga will rise to No. 1 after pounding Eastern Washington 112-77 on Saturday, Few is looking forward to a week-long break and then a return to action.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401166502

 

Petrusev leads No. 1 Gonzaga over Detroit Mercy 93-72

Top-ranked Gonzaga beat Detroit Mercy by 21 points in its first game since being ranked No. 1, but coach Mark Few wasn't terribly pleased with the effort of his players.

`'We were a little choppy tonight," Few said after the 93-72 victory on Monday. `'We've got to be better than we were tonight."

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401172493

 

Tillie scores 22, top-ranked Gonzaga downs Portland 85-72

Challenged by Portland to open conference play, top-ranked Gonzaga leaned on the experience and leadership of Killian Tillie.

Tillie had 22 points, Corey Kispert added 18 and the Bulldogs rallied from a second-half deficit to beat Portland 85-72 on Thursday night for their 12th straight victory over the Pilots.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175232

 

Petrusev, No. 1 Gonzaga race past San Diego 94-50

Joel Ayayi scored 20 points, Filip Petrusev had 17 and top-ranked Gonzaga sprinted past San Diego 94-50 Thursday night for a laugher after playing two close West Coast Conference games.

read more https://www.espn.co.uk/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175240