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Gonzaga tops Saint Mary's, remains only unbeaten team

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

SPOKANE, Wash. - Nigel Williams-Goss scored 19 points and No. 5 Gonzaga beat archrival No. 21 Saint Mary's 79-56 on Saturday night to remain the only undefeated team in Division I college basketball.

Jordan Mathews added 16 points, and Johnathan Williams had 14 for Gonzaga (17-0, 5-0 West Coast), whose 17-game winning streak is the longest in the nation.

Jock Landale was held to 10 points and was in foul trouble much of the game for Saint Mary's (15-2, 5-1), which saw a nine-game winning streak broken.

This game was seen as one of the major barriers remaining for the Zags as they seek to go undefeated through the regular season. The teams play again at Saint Mary's on Feb. 11.

Saint Mary's has never beaten an opponent ranked higher than No. 9.

Gonzaga shot 64.7 percent in the game, while Saint Mary's shot just 39.7 percent.

Landale picked up his second foul with 14:22 left and sat out the rest of the first half. The Gaels' stayed close for a while, as Calvin Hermanson converted a four-point play to tie the score at 18-18.

Saint Mary's sank three straight baskets for a 27-23 lead.

But Mathews' 3-pointer ignited a 12-2 Gonzaga run that gave the Zags a 43-34 lead at halftime.

Landale scored three unanswered baskets early in the second as Saint Mary's cut Gonzaga's lead to 46-40.

Shortly after, Williams-Goss erupted for five quick baskets as Gonzaga took a 63-52 lead.

Consecutive baskets by Johnathan Williams lifted Gonzaga to a 67-52 lead with 4:50 left. Saint Mary's made just one of 12 field goal attempts during a scoring drought.

BIG PICTURE

Saint Mary's: The Gaels relinquished first place in the West Coast Conference. Saint Mary's is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 56.6 points per game. Landale was held well below his averages of 17.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs took over first place in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga came in averaging 86 points per game, with five players averaging in double figures.

UP NEXT

Saint Mary's hosts Pacific on Thursday.

Gonzaga plays at Santa Clara on Thursday.

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