LAS VEGAS (AP) — Anton Watson scored 20 points and Drew Timme had 17 to help No. 9 Gonzaga beat pesky San Francisco 84-73 on Monday night and advance to yet another West Coast Conference championship game.
The Bulldogs (27-5) will face No. 16 Saint Mary’s (26-6) on Tuesday for the tournament title. The teams split two regular-season meetings.
Julian Strawther scored 15 points while playing in his hometown and Ben Gregg had 12 for Gonzaga.
Khalil Shabazz led San Francisco (20-14) with 26 points. Tyrell Roberts scored 17 and Marcus Williams 11.
Gonzaga is in the conference championship game for the 26th time in a row. The Zags have won this event 20 times.
They enter on an eight-game winning streak. Gonzaga’s last loss? In overtime at Saint Mary’s.
Getting to this championship game was anything but easy against San Francisco, which was the sixth seed and beat third-seeded Santa Clara 93-87 on Saturday. Shabazz scored a career-high 38 points in that game, and he was quite a handful for Gonzaga.
Shabazz kept the Dons within striking distance most of the night. San Francisco pulled to 56-54 with 11:59 left, but Gonzaga then eased away to secure the victory.
BIG PICTURE
San Francisco: There were questions about whether the Dons would take a step forward this season after coach Todd Golden left for Florida after taking San Francisco to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. New coach Chris Gerlufsen kept the Dons relevant with a 20-win season, but San Francisco is a tough place to win. Whether he can sustain it is the question.
Gonzaga: Coach Mark Few continues to win at a high rate. The Bulldogs have made the WCC final in 24 years under his watch, and a victory Tuesday would be his 19th conference tournament championship. Gonzaga is 50-5 under Few in this tournament, including 31-3 since it relocated to Las Vegas in 2009.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga will play for a potential No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament when it faces Saint Mary’s.
San Francisco waits to see if it has a shot at the NIT.
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