SPOKANE, WASH: Home losses at the Kennel in Spokane are very rare for the Zags. Prior to Thursday night, Gonzaga had a 188-18 all-time record in their home arena.
Saint Mary’s 74-71 victory over Gonzaga Thursday night gave the Zags their 19th home loss ever and snapped a home winning streak of 11 consecutive games. Most importantly, the win, which came despite being 7.5 point road underdogs, gave the Gaels firm possession of first place in the West Coast Conference.
The Student Union Sports Mid-Major Game of the Week gave us all that we wanted and more. The game featured 16 total lead changes and a 9 point second half comeback for Saint Mary’s. It was competitive even through the final seconds, with Jock Landale scoring the Gaels’ final three points, including a layup that gave the Gaels a 72-70 lead in the final minute. Trailing 74-71 with 18 seconds left, Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura missed a potential game tying three as time expired.
In their upset win over the Zags, the Gaels leaned on their staple of efficient offense and the performance of their star forward Jock Landale who finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, all while shooting 12-15 from the field.
The Gaels’ offense dominated on the blocks as well with forward Calvin Harmarson adding 16 points on 6-8 shooting. The team as a whole logged a 56.6% shooting percentage.
Gonzaga star point guard Josh Perkins struggled all night shooting (1-9) from the field, but the guard was able to get teammates involved dishing out 7 assists. Gonzaga saw a huge breakout game from Japanese forward Rui Hachimura off the bench who scored 23 points while shooting 11-16 from the field.
This is a huge resume-boosting win for the Gaels and it places them in a position to be the top mid major team in the country. The Gaels already have road victories against two of the conference’s best teams. A road win against a Top 15 Gonzaga team will boost their seeding come tournament selection time. This game changes the visual landscape of the WCC and increases the stakes of the second meeting between the two teams on February 10.
In a conference where the conference title normally runs through Spokane, the Gaels have full control and the teams will now need to beat the Gaels in Moraga. The victory also confirms the talent and potential Saint Mary’s has been getting hype for since preseason.
A home loss against the Saint Mary’s is obviously a major setback for the Zags. However, it is definitely not time to hit the panic button. Last time Gonzaga dropped a home game was in the 2017 season finale against BYU; Mark Few responded by winning 8 out of their next 9 games. During this stretch, the Zags won a WCC tourney title and they made a miraculous NCAA tournament run to the school’s first appearance in the Final Four and NCAA title time.
Randy Bennett’s Saint Mary’s team proved that they deserve to be regarded as one of nation’s top teams last night. However, Mark Few and the Zags are not going to go away. Mark Few’s team has enough talent and depth to start another hot streak. The WCC title race is now one of the more intriguing conferences in all of basketball and expect these two teams to be at the top.