MBK | Gaels Win 13th Straight with 74-71 Win at No. 13/13 Gonzaga

Thursday, January 18

Spokane, Wash.

6:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

No. 13/13 Gonzaga

MBK | Gaels Win 13th Straight with 74-71 Win at No. 13/13 Gonzaga

1/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Jan. 18, 2018

Final Stats

SPOKANE, Wash. -- In a battle of West Coast Conference powerhouses in front of a sold out McCarthey Athletic Center, Saint Mary's (18-2, 7-0 WCC) and No. 13/13 Gonzaga (16-4, 6-1 WCC) wrote another memorable matchup in the heated rivalry, as the Gaels overcame a nine point deficit to win their 13th straight of the season, 74-71, Thursday evening over arch rival Gonzaga.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jock Landale notched his 13th double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes. The Gaels had three other players score double-digit points with Hermanson (16), Krebs (10) and Ford (10) supporting the Gaels offense. Rui Hachimura recorded a new career-high with 23 points to lead the Zags.

Tied 68-68, Hermanson ripped through with a strong drive and finish to give SMC the 70-68 lead with two minutes left in the game. After a Hachimura layup to tie the game, 70-70, Landale gave the Gaels back the slim lead after a beautiful up-and-under move with 1:06 to go. GU's Zach Norvell had a chance to tie the game, but the guard missed the front end of two free throws.

With 15 seconds to go, Krebs found Landale on the block, and the senior center continued his dominant game with another layup to give SMC the 74-71 lead. After forcing the Zags to a missed three-point attempt, the Gaels held on for the three-point win, snapping the four-game skid versus GU.

Trailing by nine in the early moments of the second half, SMC quickly silenced the energetic Kennel Club with a 7-0 run to force a GU timeout with 13:11 remaining. During the run, the Gaels defense forced a two and a half minute scoring drought to slow down the Bulldogs attack. The Zags quickly regained the seven point margin after nailing four of their last five field goals.

The Gaels continued to claw back and tied the game at 63-apiece off a fall away jumper by Landale with seven minutes to go. Trailing 63-57, Hermanson drained an eight-foot jumper followed by Tanner Krebs' second trey of the game, as the defense again kept GU scoreless for nearly three minutes.

Both teams started the game fast, with Saint Mary's and Gonzaga combining for 17-for-24 shooting from the floor with 11 minutes to go. The Gaels and Zags continued to go back-and-forth as the Gaels held a 32-30 lead with under six minutes to go. SMC had eight players score in the half and finished shooting 62 percent from the field (16-of-26 FG). The Zags ended the half shooting 56 percent (18-for-32 FG) and just 3-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Landale led the Gaels at the half with nine points and five boards, while Hachimura led all players with 15 points on 7-of-9 from the floor. Despite shooting 56 percent from deep, SMC trailed GU by four, 42-38, in an impressive half of efficient basketball.

QUICK FACTS

Today is the 96th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
SMC is now 10-29 all-time at GU.
Saint Mary's and Gonzaga has met in the West Coast Conference Tournament eight out of the last nine years.
Last time Gaels beat a nationally-ranked opponent was 3/5/12 in the championship game of the WCC Tournament versus No. 24/25 Gonzaga (W, 78-74 (OT).

NUMBERS TO KNOW