The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the San Francisco Dons square off in a pivotal West Coast Conference showdown Saturday night.
The stakes at hand are simple: the winner of the regular season finale at the Chase Center will secure the No. 2 spot in the league standings and an automatic berth into the WCC Tournament semifinal round on March 10, while the loser earns a trip to the quarterfinal round as the No. 3 seed.
The Zags (22-8, 13-4 WCC) have been the top seed or the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament since 2009, when the event was first held in Las Vegas. During that stretch atop the league, Mark Few and company won 12 conference tournament championships and appeared in nine consecutive Sweet 16 rounds in the NCAA Tournament, including a pair of trips to the Final Four in 2017 and in 2021.
The Dons (23-7, 13-4 WCC), who last won the WCC Tournament in 1998, clinched their third straight finish in the top three of the league standings under head coach Chris Gerlufsen, as San Francisco has climbed back into the top 60 of the NET Rankings amid a stretch of seven wins in its last eight contests. The latest: a 74-72 victory at Oregon State that was capped off by a 3-pointer from Veniamin Abosi with 7.9 seconds left in regulation.
Gonzaga, coming off an impressive 95-76 win at Santa Clara on Saturday, has an opportunity to put itself in prime position to compete for another WCC Tournament title and extend its win streak against San Francisco, which hasn’t bested the Bulldogs since Feb. 18, 2012. The Zags came out victorious 88-77 in the first head-to-head meeting of the season at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Feb. 13.
Here are the live updates:
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1ST HALF RECAP
Gonzaga 38, San Francisco 29 (3:15): Marcus Williams has kept the Dons in the fight early on with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 14 minutes of action. Ben Gregg, meanwhile, has the Zags in the driver seat after knocking down a couple of shots in the paint, followed by a 3-pointer to put his total up to a team-high 13 points.
Gonzaga 29, San Francisco 23 (7:22): The Dons haven’t made it easy for the Zags to find Graham Ike down low early on, though the 6-foot-9 forward was able to extend his team’s lead to double-digits before San Francisco swiftly responded moments later. Rather than defend Gonzaga’s forwards on the perimeter, San Francisco is sitting an extra defender in Ike’s area to discourage any post entries.
Gonzaga 26, San Francisco 17 (9:45): Khalif Battle knocks down a stepback midrange jumper and a transition 3-pointer to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to nine points.
0️⃣ to 3️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/OmgbMNFyDb
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 2, 2025
Gonzaga 19, San Francisco 15 (11:43): Ryan Beasley cut the Dons’ deficit down to two before Ryan Nembhard drilled a 3-pointer, followed by a score down low from Braden Huff, to make it a seven-point game with just under 13 minutes left to play in the first half. Marcus Williams responded moments later after Veniamin Abosi got a layup to go inside, making it a two-point game again.
Gonzaga 11, San Francisco 6 (15:42): Ryan Nembhard fit a shovel pass into a small window for Graham Ike to snag from Marcus Williams before finishing over the top of the Dons guard for a potential 3-point play. Gonzaga’s senior guard has assisted on three of his team’s first four baskets.
BOOM. 🧨💥 pic.twitter.com/P2KQH7VBSc
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 2, 2025
Gonzaga 5, San Francisco 4 (18:07): Nolan Hickman capitalizes off a transition opportunity with a 3-pointer from the wing after Ryan Nembhard came away with a steal on the other end. The Dons have owned the glass early on, grabbing three offensive rebounds in the first 2 minutes of action.
San Francisco 2, Gonzaga 0 (19:23): Tyrone Riley IV puts San Francisco on the board first with a score over Ryan Nembhard in the paint.
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