St. Mary's and Gonzaga went back and forth for most of the game, but it was the Bulldogs who came out on top. Gonzaga moved into a tie with St. Mary's for first place in the WCC. The game was a virtual reflection of the team's first matchup in Spokane, where St. Mary's won in the final seconds. Both teams seemed evenly matched and might be bound for a rubber match in the WCC tournament final.
Moraga, CA (Sports Network) - Sam Dower hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor and finished with 21 points as the Gonzaga Bulldogs edged the Saint Mary's Gaels, 89-85, in a West Coast Conference overtime affair.
Elias Harris tallied 18 points for Gonzaga (20-9, 10-3 WCC), which pulled into a first-place tie with the Gaels. Robert Sacre registered 13 points for the Bulldogs, as both Marquise Carter and Demetri Goodson contributed 11 points.
Matthew Dellavedova scored 24 points in defeat for Saint Mary's (22-7, 10-3), which missed a chance to win its first outright regular-season WCC championship since 1989. Rob Jones tallied 21 points in the setback, while Mickey McConnell registered 15 points and nine assists.
The score was deadlocked at 40-40 at intermission and 76-76 at the end of regulation.
In the extra session, Gonzaga shot 9-of-10 from the foul line and permitted Saint Mary's to make good on only 1-of-7 field goal attempts.
A 23-17 edge in points from the charity stripe and a 33-27 rebounding advantage helped Gonzaga earn the win.
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