Men's Basketball | Pargo-led Zags prevail in WCC showdown

SPOKANE — Ever since Gonzaga lost in overtime to Saint Mary's in early February, the Zags had been focused on the rematch.

Jeremy Pargo scored all 18 of his points in the second half and No. 24 Gonzaga beat No. 25 Saint Mary's 88-76 Saturday night to snap a tie for first place in the West Coast Conference.

"Everyone on this campus has been looking forward to this game for a long time," junior guard Pargo said.

Matt Bouldin led Gonzaga (23-6 overall, 12-1 WCC) with 21 points as it won for the 13th time in 16 games. The losses were to the top two teams in the latest Associated Press poll — Tennessee and Memphis — and Saint Mary's.

The Gaels won the first game this season, 89-85 in OT on Feb. 4 in Moraga, Calif.

The fast-paced rematch had 17 lead changes and was the first matchup between two ranked WCC teams in the league's 55-year history, including the time it was known as the California Basketball Association.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's (24-5, 11-2) were already assured of the top two seeds and a bye into the semifinals of the WCC tournament in San Diego. The Zags can clinch the regular-season title outright by beating Santa Clara on Monday.

"We don't want to share the WCC title," Bouldin said.

Daimon Simpson of Saint Mary's led all scorers with 25 points. Patrick Mills added 20, with 18 of those in the second half.

Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett was critical of his team for giving up 50 points in the second half after trailing 38-36 at halftime.

"We got down and we quit defensively," Bennett said. "We couldn't get stops when we needed them."

The Zags shot 56.7 percent in the second half, while the Gaels shot 37.5 percent in the second half. The Gaels were also handicapped by making 1 of 10 three-pointers in the first half, and 7 of 23 overall.

Simpson had 18 points in the first half and finished with nine rebounds — barely missing his fourth consecutive double-double.

"I don't think anybody outcompeted him on the floor," Bennett said.

The Gaels were down after failing to secure their first WCC regular-season title since 1997.

"You can tell that there is a lot of pain," said Mills, a freshman.

Pargo, who didn't put up a shot in the first half, made 6 of 7 field goals and all four of his free throws.

"We just lost focus on him in the second half," Mills said.

Several lead changes in the opening five minutes of the second half left Saint Mary's with a 48-47 lead. But Bouldin and Pargo made consecutive three-pointers to start an 11-0 run.