By CURRAN MCCAULEY
Monday marked the start of the West Coast Conference hoops season, the earliest start date for conference play in the history of the conference, with eight of the ten teams in action. The home teams prevailed in each of the four games, including an incredible buzzer-beater victory for Pacific in Stockton and big wins for Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. BYU, participating in the Diamond Head Classic, and San Diego, will convene on New Year’s Eve for the WCC opener for both squads. Here is a look at the entire slate from the pre-Christmas conference openers.
Gonzaga 99, Pepperdine 73
The Bulldogs opened the conference slate with a convincing home win in a nationally televised contest at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga shot 61 percent from beyond the arc, sinking 16 three-pointers to cruise past the Waves. The reigning WCC Player of the Week, Domantas Sabonis, tallied 23 points while Josh Perkins and Eric McClellan had 17 and 15, respectively, for the ‘Zags, who extended a program win streak against Pepperdine to 30 games. Jeremy Major (21 points) and Stacy Davis (15 points) scored in double figures in a losing effort. Next up for Gonzaga is a home matchup Wednesday with Loyola Marymount (6:00 p.m.) while Pepperdine heads to Portland to face the Pilots (6:00 p.m.)
Portland 87, Loyola Marymount 60
It’s not often that a team will lose in a game in which it has a 23-0 run, and Monday was no exception as the Pilots turned a 19-11 deficit into a 46-26 halftime lead thanks to the shutout streak over a 7:14 stretch in the first half. Bryce Pressley had a game-high 25 points for Portland, who led by as much as 31 points before playing largely with reserves for the waining minutes. Brandon Brown had 16 points while Steven Haney had 13 for Loyola Marymount, who exceeded expectations in the non-conference portion of the season but struggled to find consistency at the Chiles Center on Monday. LMU will travel to face Gonzaga on Wednesday (6:00 p.m.) while Portland and Pepperdine do battle in an ESPNU televised contest (6:00 p.m).
Pacific 73, Santa Clara 72 (OT)
In what was by far the game of the night, Pacific picked up its first Division I win of the season in dramatic fashion, as sharpshooter Alec Kobre hit his first three-pointer of the night to beat the buzzer and send the Tiger bench into an absolute frenzy. Pacific led for just over 90 seconds in the contest and were largely able to close the gap late, scoring 15 points off the Broncos’ eight turnovers. Ray Bowles, D.J. Ursery, T.J. Wallace and Kobre all scored in double figures for Pacific. Jared Brownridge netted half the Broncos’ points, draining 36 points thanks to eight three-pointers in an impressive barrage that seemed to lift the Broncos to victory before Kobre rewrote the story late after a pair of missed free-throws from K.J. Feagin allowed the opportunity from long range. If Santa Clara keeps getting nights like Monday’s from Brownridge, they’ll be right in the middle of the WCC pack despite the loss. Pacific travels to San Francisco for a 7:00 pm on Wednesday while Santa Clara will host Saint Mary’s at 8:00 pm.
Video courtesy of Pacific athletics.
Saint Mary’s 74, San Francisco 52
At McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, the Gaels, one of the nation’s most effective shooting teams, easily took down the visiting Dons staying a perfect 9-0 at home this season. The win was the 24th in the last 26 meetings for SMC in the series between the two schools. Evan Fitzner had a career-high 20 points while star guards Joe Rahon (14 points) and Emmett Naar (13 points) continued their barrage from long distance. The Gaels effectively reduced the output of standouts Devin Watson and Tim Derksen, forcing USF to rely on Uche Ofoegbu (13 points) and Ronnie Boyce (10 points) to lead the attack. Dane Pineau had four blocks and 14 rebounds for the Gaels who will now face off with Santa Clara at 8:00 pm pn Wednesday. The Dons face Pacific at 7:00 pm on Wednesday.
They Said It
“It’s kind of a funny-looking mechanical shot, but we stat the numbers every day – he’s as good of a shooter as we’ve ever had at shooting the ball. His shot selection is really good, but he’s more than that. He’s a clever player, getting other guys open shots.” – Saint Mary’s Head Coach Randy Bennett on Emmett Naar
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