LAS VEGAS – In the season's most epic battle, Saint Mary's nearly upset No. 12 Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Semifinals. The Gaels took things into double overtime and held a one-point lead with 14.3 seconds, but the Zags hit a buzzer beater, ending the game in heartbreaking-fashion for SMC.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• QUARTER 1 | Freshman Sam Simons put the Gaels on top first, hitting a 3-pointer from the top of the arc for the game's first basket. SMC went on to score seven unanswered thanks to a pair of layups from sophomores Madeline Holland and Emily Codding. The Zags went on a six-point run in response to make it 7-6 SMC with 5:01 to play in the first. Two possessions later, a Codding corner 3-pointer gave the Gaels a 4-point, 12-8 advantage and a layup from senior Sydney Raggio pushed the lead to 14-8. Both sides went back-and-forth, but SMC maintained a 6-point lead until the buzzer when GU's Laura Stockton made a layup as time expired.

 

• QUARTER 2 | The Gaels outscored Gonzaga 5-2 to open the quarter, taking a 23-16 lead with 7:15 to play. In their next possession, Holland's jumper gave SMC their largest advantage to that point - 9 (25-16). The Gaels' defense denied the Bulldogs from scoring for nearly five minutes, while building an 11-point advantage (27-16). Gonzaga pulled within 5 (27-22) with 3:45 on the clock, but a Holland trey put SMC back on top by eight (30-22). The Zags battled back, but the Gaels got a stop with five seconds remaining to hold a 4-point, (32-28) lead at halftime.

 

• QUARTER 3 | Both sides traded two points to begin the half, but a Raggio layup and a Holland 3-pointer put SMC back up by nine with 7:18 on the clock (39-30). However, a 9-point Bulldogs run tied things up at 39 points apiece with 4:25 to play. Another GU layup in the next possession pushed their streak to nine points, giving Gonzaga their first lead of the game (41-39). At the 3:15 mark, Raggio laid in a bucket to tie the game at 41-all, and both sides traded three points to keep the game tied at 44. The Gaels regained the lead (46-44) when senior Megan McKay was fed a beautiful pass under the basket for an easy layup. Four GU points gave the Bulldogs a 2-point lead, but senior Carly Turner tied game at 48-48 with a layup at the buzzer.  

 

• QUARTER 4 | Holland made an acrobatic reverse layup under the basket to give SMC the first points of the quarter and a 50-48 lead. However, a pair of GU layups tied the game once again. Two more free throws for Gonzaga tied the game at 50-all, but a Raggio shot from the foul line gave SMC a 53-52 advantage. A Bulldogs 3-pointer put Gonzaga up by two points with just over five minutes remaining. McKay tied the game back up with a signature layup under the bucket and the scoreboard read 55-55 with 4:27 remaining in the game. With 2:20 remaining, SMC headed up the floor, trailing 59-57 and McKay earned a pair of opportunities from the charity stripe. Hitting both, the game was tied once again at 59-all. SMC earned a stop in GU's next possession, but with the shot clock down to three seconds, head coach Paul Thomas took a timeout to draw up a play. It worked as Turner hit an 8-foot jumper as the shot clock buzzer sounded, giving SMC a 61-59 lead with just 59 seconds to play. The bucket forced Gonzaga to take a timeout and they scored a layup to tie the game back up with 42.1 seconds remaining. Simons missed a 3-pointer, but both a Gael and a Bulldog came down with the rebound, prompting a jump ball which went to SMC. Unable to score, GU took the ball with two seconds and a desperation attempt did not go in, forcing the game to overtime.

 

• OVERTIME 1 | Holland hit a triple to open overtime, giving the Gaels a 3-point lead. After the Zags scored a layup, both sides earned a stop and GU took a timeout with 3:04 on the clock while SMC held a 64-63 lead. A layup and an and-one opportunity gave GU a 66-64 lead with under three minutes to go. However, Simons hit a layup to tie the game. SMC earned another stop and Turner hit a corner three in front of the bench to make it 69-66 with 1:45 remaining. Saint Mary's earned another big stop to give the Gaels the ball with 90 seconds to play. However, a turnover led to a Bulldogs layup and a foul gave the Zags a free throw which tied the game at 69-all. Turner missed a 3-pointer in the next possession and with 39.7 to play, GU called a timeout with the possession on their side. The Gaels' defense made game a huge stop and with 24.9 seconds on the clock the Gaels had the ball and a shot to win the game. However, Holland missed a jumper, sending the game to a second overtime tied at 69-69.

 

• OVERTIME 2 | Turner gave SMC a two-point lead with a jumper in the paint to begin the second period of overtime. After a miss on both ends, GU made a 3-pointer to take a 1-point, 72-71 lead. In SMC's next possession, McKay earned an offense board and put it back to give the Gaels back the lead. The Zags found themselves at the foul line and two made shots put lead back in GU's hands. The Zags went up by three, but a Tuner layup cut the deficit to one point with one minute to play. The Gaels forced a stop and with 34.3 seconds, Saint Mary's had the possession, trailing by one point. Simons put a floater in, giving the Gaels a 1-point lead (77-76) with 14.3 seconds to play. Gonzaga immediately took a timeout which advanced the ball. It was GU landed the final blow as they scored a layup at the buzzer to win the game by one point.   

 
NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 20: Career-high points for Holland
• 2002: SMC's last double overtime was January 31, 2002 against Santa Clara
• 9: No. of double-doubles for McKay this season
• 42: The Gaels outrebounded Gonzaga 42-34
• 30: SMC led GU for 30 minutes and 30 seconds
• 13: No. of times the lead changed hands – all after 4:09 remained in the third quarter.

 
COMING UP
 
The Gaels will now await word if they will be selected to the NCAA Tournament in the selection show on Monday, March 18.