SPOKANE — Adam Morrison listened to what was said in Gonzaga's locker room at halftime. Then went out and did it.

Morrison scored the first six points of the second half, and No. 17 Gonzaga wiped out a 12-point deficit on the way to a 68-63 victory over Saint Mary's last night.

The Gaels' 38-26 halftime lead didn't last and neither did the way both teams were shooting. Gonzaga held Saint Mary's to two field goals over the final 12 minutes and avenged an earlier loss to the Gaels.

"Don't hang your heads," Morrison recounted when asked what was said at halftime. "We're playing pretty good 'D.' We need to rebound and play smarter."

Morrison and point guard Derek Raivio each scored 19 points for the Bulldogs (16-4, 6-2 West Coast Conference), who were 15 for 25 from the field in the second half while holding the Gaels to 7-for-29 shooting over the final 20 minutes.

"We had to prove to them they were not going to beat us at home," Morrison said.

Saint Mary's (19-6, 6-2) was trying to become the first WCC team to beat Gonzaga twice in a season since San Diego in 1997.

"I hope we understand that defense is the key to having a great year," said Ronny Turiaf, who had 14 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga.

Paul Marigney, who scored 30 points in Saint Mary's 89-81 win over Gonzaga on Jan. 8, picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and finished with 10 points before fouling out.

Saint Mary's led most of the game until a late 12-3 run by the Bulldogs gave them a 65-59 lead they did not relinquish.

The loss knocked Gonzaga out of first place in the WCC for the first time since 2001.

Gonzaga is 33-0 at home when ranked, and the Bulldogs have won 21 home games in a row.

At Sacramento State 83, Eastern Washington 72

Jason Harris had 25 points and Jameel Pugh added 24 to help lead Sacramento State over Eastern Washington in a Big Sky Conference game.

The Hornets (8-13, 4-4) made 8 of 17 three-point attempts.

Marc Axton led the Eagles (4-4, 7-14) with 15 points, and Matt Nelson had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists.