Saint Mary’s (13-1, 23-4)

Saint Mary’s dominated the only game they played last week against Washington State.

The Gaels celebrated Lithuania night at Credit Union Pavilion but got off to a slow start. Paulius Murauskas did his thing from there, sparking a 25-9 SMC run helping the Gaels take a nice early lead.

The Cougars showed one more burst tying the game near the end of the first half but Saint Mary’s saddled them in from there.

Murauskas hit two layups to close out the first stanza, and then SMC stayed hot at the beginning of the second half, leading to a 20-2 run for Saint Mary’s.

This skyrocketed the Gaels lead proving too much for the Cougs to overcome. Paulius led the way for SMC with 30 points and 10 rebounds, he shot 12-19 from the field.

His Lithuanian broski Augustas Marciulionis finished with 16 points, seven assists, and four steals. Saint Mary’s hosts Portland, and then travels to Spokane with an opportunity to clinch the WCC Regular Season Championship barring a collapse against the Pilots.

Notes:

• Saint Mary’s had a season-high eight blocks against Washington State.
• Augustas Marciulionis leads the Gaels with 14.3 points per game.
• SMC also has a graduate assistant from Lithuania named Taut Tubelis.

Gonzaga (11-3, 20-7)

After a perplexing start to conference play, Gonzaga returned to usual form with a blowout win against Pepperdine on Saturday, and a comfortable one against San Francisco two days earlier.

The two wins this week should solidify the Bulldogs’ spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 26th season in a row. The Zags also moved into second place with their victory over the Dons.

On the weekend, GU went on an early 20-4 run and massacred the Waves from there. The Bulldogs ended up winning the contest by 52 points. Khalif Battle led the Zags with 24 points.

Against USF, the Zags were in a closer affair, heading into the break tied at 38. The Bulldogs found their rhythm on a 20-8 run at the beginning of the second half and paced their way to victory.

The win against San Francisco is bigger than it looks.

The Zags have a tricky schedule this week, as they travel to Pullman in a rivalry game and then host their actual rival Saint Mary’s with a shot at revenge.

Notes:

• The Zags broke their team assists record with 33 against Pepperdine.
• Graham Ike leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.7 points per game.
• Five GU players finished in double figures against San Francisco, a sixth had nine.

Oregon State (8-6, 18-9)

Oregon State had their first really tough loss of the year against Portland on Thursday. They bounced back against Pacific on Saturday, but OSU fans probably don’t want to hear Beaver talk right now.

Against the Tigers, the game was tied at halftime, as the two squads headed to the break at 40 apiece. Oregon State opened up a nine-point lead with 12 minutes left to go and went into auto-drive from there.

The Beavs ended up winning the contest by 14 points. Josiah Lake II led Oregon State with 16 points setting a career high. Nate Kingz added 13, knocking down three treys.

Against the Pilots, OSU fought hard but Portland went on a late run and secured the victory. Parsa Fallah hit a shot with 8:42 left to make it a two-point game, and a few players later Kingz added a three-point play but it wasn’t enough.

Michael Rataj led the Beavs with 22 points.

The Beavers’ schedule stays light this week as they travel to Pepperdine and San Diego.

Notes:

• Damarco Minor posted his first double-double at Oregon State against Pacific. (11 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and three steals)
• Michael Rataj leads the Beavers in both scoring and rebounding. (17.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds)
• Josiah Lake II made his first collegiate start against the Tigers.

Washington State (6-8, 16-11)

Washington State only had one game this week and it proved to be a lopsided loss against Saint Mary’s.

The Cougars fought hard in the first half, but couldn’t withstand the Gaels 19-4 run at the beginning of the second stanza. The Cougs shot 52 percent in the first half but only 30 in the second.

WSU was led by LeJuan Watts who finished with 17 points and four assists. Ethan Price also finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

This loss should’ve been expected, but it would be nice to see the Cougs put up a little more fight even with their star player Cedric Coward out for the season.

Washington State started the season hot but hasn’t quite found their rhythm since their dual losses to Pacific.

WSU’s hosts Gonzaga and Santa Clara in what could prove huge in boosting the Cougs postseason resume. If the Cougars could get a sweep it would give them an outside shot of making the NIT.

Their schedule eases up the final week of conference play making these contests vital.

Notes:

• Isaiah Watts finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists against Saint Mary’s
• Nate Calmese leads Washington State averaging 15.8 points per game.
• The Cougars have five players who average in double figures in 2024-25.