LAS VEGAS - In a game that played out at Saint Mary's pace, the Gonzaga men's basketball team struggled to find its footing in a 69-60 loss to the Gaels in the 2024 West Coast Conference Tournament championship game Tuesday night.
The Zags battled, but ultimately were done in by missed shots and an inability to come up with key rebounds. The Gaels won the rebounding battle 39-22, with Mitchell Saxen grabbing 15 boards.
Saxen also scored 19 points, and Saint Mary's guard Aidan Mahaney led all scorers with 23 points.
Anton Watson led Gonzaga with 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Ryan Nembhard had 13 points and 11 assists.
Here's what Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after the game:
(Watch the video above for his full comments.)
Few on the physical post play and Gonzaga's offensive struggles:
"If you let (Mitchell) Saxen be that physical he's tough to score on. It was a sumo wrestling match down there tonight. If that's the case he's probably going to win. He's the biggest, strongest of these guys."
"They were more physical. They're probably a better rebounding team when they put (Mason) Forbes in there."
"Really, really hard fought game. Really physical game. It came down to the last three minutes and they made plays and got to the free throw line. We just came up a little dry on the offensive end."
On his respect for Randy Bennett and Saint Mary's:
"Tons and tons of respect for Saint Mary's. They're a tough, tough out. Physical and smart. Adjusted to some of the things we did to them in the last game we played. So then we had to make adjustments at halftime to kind of counter that."
On Anton Watson's effort:
"He fought. He always gives you great effort. He did everything he could."
On turning the page to the NCAA Tournament:
"We'll be fine. We still have everything in front of us. For months we probably weren't in a position to drop a game here, but they fought like crazy and did an unbelievable job. Now we get to play (in the NCAA Tournament) - the reason they came to Gonzaga, the reason we all coach at Gonzaga."
More must-reads: