The Gonzaga Bulldogs are in prime position for an NCAA Tournament bid, leading the Saint Mary’s Gaels at the half, 39-34. Gonzaga used a late-run in the first, ending with Marquise Carter’s runner at the buzzer to take the halftime lead, putting the Bulldogs 20 minutes away from punching their ticket to March Madness. Carter led the way with 11 points as he matched St. Mary’s star Mickey McConnell step-for-step. As we said earlier, Carter is a key for Gonzaga, and showed why in the first half.
It was a back-and-forth half in the WCC Championship, with both teams trading punches over the first 20 minutes in a hard-fought matchup, as expected. The Bulldogs scored the final five points of the half after St. Mary’s knotted the score at 34, four of which came from Carter.
For the Gaels, it’s been all McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova. McConnell scored 11 points in the half, with Dellavedove close behind, adding 10. Stephen Holt added six points and Rob Jones chipped in four. Jones led the way with three rebounds and McConnell played the role of facilitator with a team-high three assists.
Elias Harris was aggressive early against the Gaels, scoring seven first half points including a three-pointer. Steven Gray and Demetri Goodsen each had five points, with Sam Dower pitching in six points off the bench. Harris had a team-high three rebounds in the half, making up for Robert Sacre’s ineffective performance — one point and one rebound. Carter and Gray each had two assists in the half.
The Bulldogs are knocking on the door of an NCAA Tournament bid, leading St. Mary’s by five at the half. Stay tuned to our WCC Tournament StoryStream for more on the game and check out SB Nation’s Slipper Still Fits to connect with Zags’ fans.