Saint Mary’s relishes win over No. 9 Gonzaga in final WCC matchup of classic rivalry

MORAGA — There was a lot to unpack after Saint Mary’s beat No. 9 Gonzaga 70-59 in front of a deafening home crowd and national ESPN audience in their final regular-season meeting as West Coast Conference rivals.

For coach Randy Bennett, one thing stood above all else. “We won the conference championship,” he said. “That’s a big deal.”

Four in a row, in fact. The Gaels and Zags shared the 2023 regular-season crown before Saint Mary’s won outright titles back-to-back the next two seasons.