Mon Mar 10 10:34:50 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Zags and Toreros get together to decide WCC title

---

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - An automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line this evening, as the 22nd-ranked and top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the third-seeded San Diego Toreros in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game.

This contest is being played on the home floor of the Toreros, as they are the host team of the event. The crowd certainly helped fuel the club last night, as they were able to knock off second-seeded Saint Mary's by a 75-69 final in double-overtime. In the quarterfinal round, San Diego beat up on sixth-seeded Pepperdine, 73-55.

As for Gonzaga, it has won this tournament nine times, including four in a row and eight of the last nine. The Bulldogs beat Santa Clara in the title game a year ago and are 32-12 all-time in this event. They have won eight consecutive WCC regular season titles and are currently 25-6 overall. Last night, they faced Santa Clara in the semifinal round and the Zags outlasted the Broncos in a defensive battle, 52-48.

Gonzaga beat San Diego in both meetings during the regular season, and the Bulldogs hold a 52-20 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.

San Diego shot a lackluster 34.5 percent from the floor in the first half against Saint Mary's last night, including 0-of-6 from three-point range, and the Toreros trailed by 13 points at intermission. Fortunately, they were able to connect on 52.4 percent of their field goal attempts over the final 20 minutes and limit the Gaels to 16 second-half points to force overtime. After both teams scored only three points in the first overtime people, San Diego exploded for 20 points in the second extra session to claim the victory. Brandon Johnson was tremendous, as he scored a career-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds. Fellow All-WCC performer Gyno Pomare, the team's center, racked up 22 points and 12 rebounds, and a 21-10 advantage in points from the foul line played a major role in the victory. Heading into the semifinal round, Johnson was scoring 16.8 ppg to go along with 113 assists and 71 steals, and Pomare was contributing 13.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Therefore, their big performances last night did not come as a surprise.

Only one player scored in double figures for Gonzaga last night against Santa Clara, as Josh Heytvelt netted 15 points in 22 minutes of action off the bench. The Bulldogs finished with only nine assists and 17 turnovers, but they did knock down 14-of-18 free throws. A 30-22 rebounding advantage also played a major role in the four-point triumph. Matt Bouldin leads the club in scoring with his 13.0 ppg, and he is one of several players on the roster capable of knocking down shots from three-point range. WCC Player of the Year Jeremy Pargo, the team's point guard, is registering 11.5 ppg and 6.1 apg, and he is the one player that the Zags cannot do without. Austin Daye is one of the most prized recruits in the history of the program, and although he has not been dominant as a freshman, it is hard to complain about his 10.9 ppg. Heytvelt rounds out an impressive group with 10.3 ppg.