No. 12 Gonzaga snaps No. 11 St. Mary’s 19-game win streak

Published 1:30 am Saturday, February 10, 2018

MORAGA, Calif. — Rui Hachimura scored 23 points and No. 12 Gonzaga kept the ball out of Jock Landale’s hands to end the nation’s longest active winning streak at 19 games with a 78-65 victory over No. 11 Saint Mary’s on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (23-4, 13-1 West Coast Conference) jumped on the Gaels (24-3, 13-1) early and never trailed to avenge a home loss to Saint Mary’s last month and move back into a tie for first in the conference race with four games remaining.

Zach Norvell Jr. scored 15 points and Johnathan Williams added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs made Landale a non-factor on the offensive end after he made 12 of 15 shots and scored 26 points in Saint Mary’s 74-71 win last month. Gonzaga double-teamed him almost immediately every time he got the ball in the post and Landale’s only shot in the first 26 minutes was a first-half dunk in transition. He finished 2 for 4 for four points.

The Gaels couldn’t make the Bulldogs pay for that strategy with long-range shots, hitting just 5 of 20 3-pointers.

Cullen Neal scored 18 and Jordan Ford added 17 to lead Saint Mary’s.

Hachimura converted sweeping layups on back-to-back trips early in the second half, adding a foul shot on one of the plays, to help Gonzaga open up a 20-point lead.

Gonzaga raced out to a 22-5 lead, quieting an overflow crowd that turned out for the first matchup of two top 15 teams in WCC history. The Bulldogs hit 3-pointers on their first three offensive trips and kept the ball out of Landale’s hands with double teams. The Gaels responded and cut the deficit to seven before going into the half down 42-30.