Field Level Media
Jan 18, 2018
Senior center Jock Landale recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Saint Mary's to a tightly contested 74-71 victory over No. 13 Gonzaga on Thursday in a West Coast Conference showdown at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
Landale was 12-of-15 shooting and posted his 11th double-double in the past 12 games to help the Gaels (18-2, 7-0 WCC) extend their winning streak to 13 games. Senior forward Calvin Hermanson scored 16 points while sophomore guards Jordan Ford and Tanner Krebs had 10 points apiece.
Sophomore forward Rui Hachimura scored a career-best 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting for the Bulldogs (16-4, 6-1). Senior forward Johnathan Williams tallied 13 points, sophomore forward Killian Tillie added 11 and freshman guard Zach Norvell Jr. had 10 as Gonzaga's six-game winning streak reached an end.
Saint Mary's shot 56.6 percent from the field, including 8 of 13 from 3-point range, and the latest triumph represents the second-longest winning streak (behind 15 in 2008-09) during coach Randy Bennett's 17 seasons at the school.
Gonzaga missed six of its final seven field goal attempts to finish at 47.5 percent from the field.
Landale put Saint Mary's ahead 72-70 with a hoop in the interior with 1:10 remaining. Norvell split two free throws with 41.8 seconds left, as the Bulldogs pulled within one before Krebs sent a lob toward the hoop that Landale laid in for a three-point lead with 15.5 seconds left.
Gonzaga junior guard Josh Perkins air-balled a tying 3-point attempt with 5.7 seconds left. Ford missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Hachimura's last-second 3-point attempt caromed off the backboard.
Gonzaga held a nine-point lead early in the second half before the Gaels pulled within 52-50 on Hermanson's 3-pointer with 13:21 to play.
Hachimura converted back-to-back baskets to give the Bulldogs a 61-54 edge with 10:57 remaining. But Saint Mary's soon rattled off nine straight points to take its first lead of the second half at 65-63 on Landale's inside hoop with 5:54 remaining.
A driving basket by Hermanson gave the Gaels a 70-68 lead with 2:51 remaining. Gonzaga tied the contest at 70 on Hachimura's inside basket with 1:32 left.
Hachimura had 15 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting, as Gonzaga led 42-38 at the break.
The Bulldogs shot 56.3 percent in the half, but Saint Mary's was even hotter at 61.5 percent, as the lead changed hands 19 times over the first 20 minutes.
--Field Level Media