Gonzaga Vs St Mary's Ca: Saint Mary’s 70-59 win seals shared WCC title as conference realignment looms
Saint Mary’s defeated Gonzaga 70-59 on Feb. 28, 2026 in what was billed as the last West Coast Conference regular-season meeting between the two. The result matters because the Gaels’ victory triggers a shared WCC regular-season title and arrives as Gonzaga prepares to depart the league for the rebooted Pac-12.
Gonzaga Vs St Mary's Ca: Final WCC clash and title consequence
The 70-59 scoreline completed the season’s scheduled WCC slate between Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga and, with the Gaels’ win, the two programs share the WCC regular-season crown. Conference tournament play remains on the calendar, and Gonzaga’s pending move to the rebooted Pac-12 is the larger institutional shift behind this finale: conference realignment is the cause, and the effect is an end to a long-running in-conference rivalry that will now be played out for a final time in tournament settings or nonconference scheduling.
McCarthey Athletic Center and Mark Few
The departure of Gonzaga from the WCC will also alter traditions tied to the McCarthey Athletic Center, known as The Kennel. The arena opened in 2004, and Gonzaga has played 175 WCC games there, losing 10. Commentary in the league framed the moment in stark terms: "No more Mark Few. No more McCarthey Athletic Center. " What makes this notable is the statistical depth of that home dominance and the cultural identity the venue and coach have provided to the conference.
WCC streaks: Pepperdine, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pacific
Gonzaga’s dominance across the WCC is reflected in a series of long streaks. Pepperdine’s last victory over Gonzaga came in 2002—before the rise of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—and the Waves have lost 51 straight to the Zags since. San Diego has dropped 20 consecutive meetings and is 4-54 against Mark Few. Loyola Marymount has lost 35 of the last 37 matchups. Santa Clara, sitting at 23-7 this season, lost twice to Gonzaga by 12 and eight points and has lost 53 of the last 57 meetings; the Broncos might secure their first NCAA tournament bid in 30 years. San Francisco has dropped 35 straight games to Gonzaga. Pacific has faced Few-coached Gonzaga teams 23 times and has yet to record a victory, with the most recent loss a 71-62 contest.
Portland, Seattle and a rare Gonzaga loss
Portland handed Gonzaga what may be the Zags’ only WCC loss of the season with an 87-80 upset that confounded a No. 6 Gonzaga team into 40 percent shooting and defeated the highest-ranked opponent in Portland history. The Pilots had previously lost 20 in a row to Gonzaga and entered the season series at 2-47 against Few. Coach Shantay Legans acknowledged the unexpected nature of the win, saying he would have been stunned at the season’s start to find his team up by 11 with under a minute to go. Seattle, a new WCC member this season, played Gonzaga Jan. 2 in Spokane in the first meeting since 1980; that game went to overtime. The teams met again later with a 71-50 Gonzaga victory. The Zags then won their final WCC home game 89-48 at The Kennel.
Saint Mary’s, Randy Bennett and historical balance
Saint Mary’s and coach Randy Bennett stand out as the program that has troubled Gonzaga most frequently. Bennett’s teams have beaten Mark Few 17 times, representing 41. 6 percent of Few’s conference defeats. Over the most recent 12 meetings between the two, the Gaels are 6-6. A fragment in the record about clinching is unclear in the provided context, but the completed season result is the shared WCC title driven by Saint Mary’s win on Feb. 28, 2026.
Mets Grapefruit League at Clover Park: Baty, Myers and Peralta
Separately, spring training notes for Major League Baseball appeared in the coverage mix. The Mets opened a Grapefruit League game with Brett Baty starting at first base and Tobias Myers taking the mound at Clover Park. Freddy Peralta made his first start of spring training in other Grapefruit League activity. The Mets were scheduled to visit the Houston Astros for a Grapefruit League matchup this afternoon, and there was also mention of the Mets hosting the Astros for a Grapefruit League game this afternoon in other scheduling notes. Commentary in that coverage referenced Citi Field favorably while noting many Mets fans retain memories of Shea Stadium. Readers were invited to chat about dream G, K, or R topics in the comments.
Gambling help details appeared alongside the spring notes: a helpline is listed as 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537); another number available is 327-5050. Additional contact options included calling 877-8HOPE-NY or texting HOPENY, and a separate number listed was 1-888-789-7777. Notices stated services are for adults 21 and older (18+ in D. C. ) and are available in select states, with one state affiliation noted with Kansas Star Casino for Kansas.
BRACKETOLOGY also featured in the broader conversation with a headline noting a new No. 1 overall seed in the latest 2026 March Madness bracket predictions.
The immediate effects are concrete: Saint Mary’s walked away from the final WCC regular-season meeting with a 70-59 victory and a share of the league title, Gonzaga will proceed to the conference tournament before transitioning to the rebooted Pac-12, and the statistical ledger across the WCC will remain a record of Gonzaga’s sustained dominance and the Gaels’ relative success against them.
