Saturday, February 28
Moraga, CA
7:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
27-4,16-2WCC
70
vs
59
Gonzaga
28-3,16-2WCC
1
2
F
Gonzaga
36
23
59
Saint Mary's (CA)
29
41
70
The Gaels Have Now Captured Four Consecutive WCC Regular Season Titles
Photo by: Ryan Barnett / SMC Athletics
MBB | Senior Night Victory, Rivalry Victory, Championship Victory…Gaels Defeat No. 9 Gonzaga, 70-59 to Clinch Fourth Straight WCC Title
3/1/2026 12:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. — For the fourth straight season, the Saint Mary's Gaels are West Coast Conference Regular Season Champions. The Gaels defeated rival Gonzaga in their final regular season meeting as WCC foes, 70-59, to lock up the share of the conference crown. The win also marked the Gaels' first win over a top-10 opponent since their win over top-ranked Gonzaga in 2022.
Mikey Lewis smashed his career-high dropping 31 in yet another career performance. Lewis buried a career-best seven threes on 13 attempts, while adding five rebounds and four assists to power the Gaels past the Zags. Joshua Dent and Mantas Juzanas added 14 and 12 respectively, each connecting on four of six perimeter attempts. While the offense was special, it was the Gaels' defense that reigned supreme tonight, becoming the first team to hold Gonzaga under 60 points this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels (27-4, 16-2 WCC) put together a strong three point shooting performance in the first half in order to hang tough with the Zags (28-3, 16-2 WCC). Juzenas made a massive contribution off of the bench, canning four first half triples, while Lewis drained two and Dent buried one. Gonzaga held a seven point lead at the break, but a Juzenas three with 49 seconds remaining gave the Gaels momentum heading into the break.
From down seven to up six in the blink of an eye, Saint Mary's opened the second half on a 15-2 run over the first 5:35. Gonzaga responded to level things up with 11 minutes left, but another long Gael run, this time at 12-2, would give them a lead they would not relinquish. Lewis and Dent combined for eight second half threes in the offensive outpouring, while the defense continued to shine, limiting the Zags to just 23 second half points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Gaels finished off the double-digit win against the Zags, their first since 2022, and their largest margin of victory since 2019.
THE DETAILS
The Gaels will open up Credit Union One West Coast Conference Basketball Championship play on Monday, March 8 in the semifinals.
#GaelsRise
Mikey Lewis smashed his career-high dropping 31 in yet another career performance. Lewis buried a career-best seven threes on 13 attempts, while adding five rebounds and four assists to power the Gaels past the Zags. Joshua Dent and Mantas Juzanas added 14 and 12 respectively, each connecting on four of six perimeter attempts. While the offense was special, it was the Gaels' defense that reigned supreme tonight, becoming the first team to hold Gonzaga under 60 points this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels (27-4, 16-2 WCC) put together a strong three point shooting performance in the first half in order to hang tough with the Zags (28-3, 16-2 WCC). Juzenas made a massive contribution off of the bench, canning four first half triples, while Lewis drained two and Dent buried one. Gonzaga held a seven point lead at the break, but a Juzenas three with 49 seconds remaining gave the Gaels momentum heading into the break.
From down seven to up six in the blink of an eye, Saint Mary's opened the second half on a 15-2 run over the first 5:35. Gonzaga responded to level things up with 11 minutes left, but another long Gael run, this time at 12-2, would give them a lead they would not relinquish. Lewis and Dent combined for eight second half threes in the offensive outpouring, while the defense continued to shine, limiting the Zags to just 23 second half points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Gaels finished off the double-digit win against the Zags, their first since 2022, and their largest margin of victory since 2019.
THE DETAILS
- The Gaels have now won at least a share of the WCC Regular Season Title in four consecutive years for the first time in program history.
- It was once again the Mikey Lewis show against the Zags. The sophomore scored a career-high 31, burying a career best 10 shots and seven threes. In the Gaels three wins over Gonzaga in Mikey's time in Moraga, he is averaging 21.7 points per contest.
- Lewis has now scored in double-figures in eight straight, a new career-high.
- His seven made threes were the most by a Gael since Alex Ducas knocked down seven against Santa Clara in the 2024 WCC Semifinals.
- For the 12th time this season, Joshua Dent played the full 40 minutes, scoring 14 points and knocking down four of six triples.
- Mantas Juzenas scored in double figures for the second time this season, dropping a career best 12 on a career-high four made threes.
- The Gaels became the first team to limit Gonzaga to less than 60 points scoring this year. In the last three years, Saint Mary's is the only team to hold Gonzaga to sub-60 points in a game, doing so three times in that span.
- Saint Mary's has now logged 27 wins on the year, their ninth 27+ win season in program history, all coming under Randy Bennett's tutelage.
The Gaels will open up Credit Union One West Coast Conference Basketball Championship play on Monday, March 8 in the semifinals.
#GaelsRise
Team Stats
Gonz
SMC
FG%
.393
.348
3FG%
.294
.485
FT%
.833
.727
RB
37
42
TO
11
6
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Pts
31
FGM
10
3FGM
7
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Mikey Lewis Postgame TV Interview Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga, 2-28-26
Saturday, February 28
MBB | Josh Dent and Mikey Lewis Postgame Interview vs. Gonzaga, 2-28-26, presented by University Credit Union
Saturday, February 28
MBB | Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga Highlights, 2-28-26
Saturday, February 28
MBB | Randy Bennett Postgame Interview vs. Gonzaga, 2-28-26, presented by University Credit Union
Saturday, February 28
