MORAGA, Calif. (AP) – Gonzaga found itself in a rare fight and facing a huge deficit with so much at stake: a West Coast Conference crown, a school-record winning streak and possibly even a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
It was just the kind of adversity the Bulldogs believe will make them better.
Kyle Wiltjer had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and third-ranked Gonzaga rallied from 17 points down to beat Saint Mary’s 70-60 on Saturday night. The Zags (28-1, 16-0) claimed the outright WCC regular-season championship and rolled up a school-record 21st straight victory.
“It shows character, it shows toughness, it shows great teamness,” Bulldogs coach Mark Few said. “There was nobody in there at halftime pointing fingers at anybody or panicking. They were eager to kind of get lectured, for lack of a better term. They certainly needed it.”
Gonzaga ended the game on a 29-9 run to put Saint Mary’s away.