Estimated read time: 19-20 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAS VEGAS — BYU freshman Nick Emery was one of five players named to the WCC all-tournament team following Tuesday night's championship game.
The former Lone Peak High standout was the only BYU player nominated to the list, which included two players from conference finalists Saint Mary's and Gonzaga.
For the complete recap, click here.
LAS VEGAS — Kyle Wiltjer led five Gonzaga scorers in double-figures with 17 points and four rebounds, and the Zags outlasted top-seeded Saint Mary's, 85-75 in the West Coast Conference tournament championship Tuesday night at Orleans Arena.
Erik McClellan scored 20 points, three rebounds and two assists for Gonzaga, which shot 62 percent from the field. Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (26-7).
Josh Perkins supplied 16 points and five assists, and Kyle Dranginis added 13 points for the Bulldogs, who advanced to their 18th-straight NCAA Tournament in a season that saw them squarely on the bubble at the beginning of the postseason.
"None of my groups have had to dig themselves back and fight as much adversity as these guys did," Gonzaga coach Mark Few told the largely pro-Zags crowd at Orleans Arena. "These dudes are winners."
Emmett Naar scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half for Saint Mary's (27-5), including a three that cut the Gaels' deficit to three, 64-61 with 8:13 remaining. Teammate Joe Rahon added 16 points for Saint Mary's, and pulled the team within one, 66-65 with an arching triple at the 6:44 mark of the second half. But the Gaels could get no closer.
Evan Fitzner scored 11 for Saint Mary's, and teammate Dane Pineau supplied nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
For a complete recap, click here.
LAS VEGAS — Damontas Sabonis scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting to lead Gonzaga to a halftime lead over rival Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference championship game Tuesday night.
Kyle Wiltjer added nine points for the Bulldogs, including a 3-pointer with 5:19 left in the half that gave Gonzaga a game-high 10-point lead, 37-27.
Joe Rahon scored a game-high 13 points for Saint Mary's, and Emmett Naar added 10 points for the Gaels as both teams combined to make 26 of their first 38 shots, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range. The Zags shot 69 percent from the field in the first half, compared to 50 percent for the Gaels.
LAS VEGAS — Taylor Proctor scored 14 of her game-high 27 points in the second half, and San Francisco used a 16-10 fourth-quarter spurt to lift the Dons past top-seeded BYU in the West Coast Conference women's basketball championship game Tuesday at Orleans Arena.
Proctor, who also won tournament MVP honors, scored five points in the final quarter, including the last field goal of the game that pulled USF (20-11) within two, 68-66 with 1:10 remaining.
Zhane Dikes added 21 points for USF, which clinched the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Proctor also had 10 rebounds for the Dons.
Lexi Eaton Rydalch totaled 23 points, five rebounds and two steals to lead BYU (26-5), but fouled out in the final minute on a foul that sent Dikes to the free-throw line for the go-ahead points. Dikes made just 1-of-2 on that trip, but Proctor and Dikes converted 2-of-3 in the final 17 seconds to lift the championship trophy.
The former Springville High standout surpassed LMU legend Hank Gathers for the top spot on the WCC's all-time scoring list for men's and women's basketball.
Kalani Purcell had 17 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, becoming BYU's single-season rebounding record holder. Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher supplied 14 points for the Cougars, who will likely advance to the NCAA women's tournament as an at-large seed — but will have to wait for Selection Monday to hear their fate.
For the second-consecutive season, BYU's road to the WCC women's basketball tournament title runs through San Francisco in the title game.
This time, the Dons are the upstart and the Cougars the lauded favorites. Regular-season champion BYU has likely already clinched an NCAA women's tournament berth, while USF is still fighting for its postseason life.
A lot can change in 40 minutes, when the two teams tip off at 2 p.m. MT at Orleans Arena. The game, which will be televised by ESPNU, will be the first meeting between the two teams since Lexi Eaton Rydalch nailed a half-court buzzer-beater in the closing seconds to rally BYU past USF at the Marriott Center.
Expect a fight, BYU coach Jeff Judkins said.
"You guys will be able to go home and sleep tonight; I won't," Judkins joked with the media Monday. "It'll be a long night, but it's an exciting night. We've played well against them, and they are very good. It'll be a dog fight."
LAS VEGAS — Kyle Wiltjer poured in 29 points and eight rebounds to keep Gonzaga's bid for the West Coast Conference tournament title alive with an 88-84 win over BYU in a Monday night semifinal at Orleans Arena.
Damontis Sabonis added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who got 17 points from Josh Perkins and 15 points from Eric McClellan.
Nick Emery led BYU with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and Kyle Collinsworth tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Cougars.
"It was a great, epic basketball game," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "When we played BYU, I can't tell you how much respect we have for them. They play so stinkin' hard, and come at you for the full 40 minutes."
For a complete recap, click here.
LAS VEGAS — Corbin Kaufusi's tipback buzzer-beating dunk pulled BYU into a tie with Gonzaga at halftime of the the second WCC semifinal Monday night at Orleans Arena.
Kyle Wiltjer drained his three 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points to help Gonzaga build up a lead as high as 10 points before BYU mounted a rally.
Nick Emery led BYU with 14 points, including and-1 drive to the rim near the under-11 timeout to pull BYU within five, 23-18. The freshman Lone Peak grad then had BYU within a possession, 36-33 with just 5:44 left in the half. Zac Seljaas scored five points as BYU mounted an 8-0 run down the stretch, including a trey from the angle to pull BYU within 44-43 with just over 90 seconds left in the half to set up Kaufusi's dunk.
LAS VEGAS — Joe Rahon had 19 points and four rebounds to help the Gaels pull away for their first win over the Waves in three meetings in 2015-16.
Emmett Naar added 14 points and nine assists for Saint Mary's (27-4), which got 16 points and nine rebounds from Dane Pineau.
Lamond Murray Jr. scored a game-high 20 points for Pepperdine (18-13), which got just eight points and seven rebounds from Stacy Davis after four-straight double-doubles.
LAS VEGAS — Taylor Proctor scored 19 points, including the game-clinching free throws in the final seconds, as the Dons upset the Gaels to move to its second WCC title game against BYU in as many years in Monday's second semifinal.
Zhane Dikes added 14 points for San Francisco, which will face top-seeded BYU in a rematch of the 2015 tournament title game Tuesday at 2 p.m. MT on ESPNU.
Saint Mary's Lauren Nicholson led all scorers with 22 points, and Megan McKay added 15 points for the Gaels, who drew the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament.
LAS VEGAS — Taylor Proctor scored 19 points, including the game-clinching free throws in the final seconds, as the Dons upset the Gaels to move to its second WCC title game against BYU in as many years in Monday's second semifinal.
Zhane Dikes added 14 points for San Francisco, which will face top-seeded BYU in a rematch of the 2015 tournament title game Tuesday at 2 p.m. MT on ESPNU.
Saint Mary's Lauren Nicholson led all scorers with 22 points, and Megan McKay added 15 points for the Gaels, who drew the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament.
LAS VEGAS — Lexi Eaton Rydalch had a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists to lead the BYU women's basketball team to an 87-66 win over Santa Clara in Monday's semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament at Orleans Arena.
Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher added 17 points and three assists for BYU, which got 16 points and five assists from Kylie Maeda. Cassie Broadhead finished with 11 points for BYU, which advanced to the tournament final for the fourth time in five years.
Former Cyprus High star Lorie Parkinson led Santa Clara with 24 points and seven rebounds.
.@byuwbb defeats Santa Clara 87-67 and moves on to the WCC tourney final Tues. vs St. Mary's/USF winner at 2pm MT pic.twitter.com/yrXvwikMoG
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) March 7, 2016
Lexi Eaton Rydalch paced the Cougars with 12 points and five rebounds, and Kylie Maeda has 10 points and four assists — including an assist or 3-pointer on BYU's first four makes — to lead BYU to a five-point lead at halftime.
Former Cyprus High standout Lori Parkinson has 12 points and four rebounds to lead the Broncos, and Marie Bertholdt has seven pints and five rebounds — including two to end the half within five.
The Cougars know a few things about the Broncos' stifling zone defense; they've defeated it twice during the 2015-16 season.
Tackling it a third time will be a bigger challenge. But it's a challenge newcomer Kalani Purcell is ready to face.
"I'm really excited to face them," Purcell said after BYU's quarterfinal win over Pepperdine. "They're a physical team, and I'm a very physical person on the court. I think they match up pretty well with us and them. I'm super excited for it."
Purcell will be key in the semifinal, as will BYU shooting guard Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher against the Broncos' "swarming" zone, BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. His Cougars used their own version of a zone defense to fend off Santa Clara at the Marriott Center.
"Makenzi and Kalani are going to have to play very good," Judkins said. "Makenzi to hit shots, and Kalani to pass through that zone. Hopefully we can do what we did the last two times against them."
BYU topped Santa Clara 68-63 in California, and 70-63 in Provo. Maybe the key is a simple number for BYU: hold the Broncos to 63 points.
The Bulldogs blasted their Pacific Northwest rivals behind a standout offensive performance from Eric McClellan. The WCC defensive player of the year had a game-high 26 points on a cool 8-of-15 shooting, pacing four Zags in double-figures.
Domantas Sabonis added 24 points and four rebounds and Kyle Wiltjer added 13 points and eight rebounds for Gonzaga, which advanced to face BYU in Monday's semifinal at 8:30 p.m. PT at Orleans Arena. Silas Melson supplied 15 points for Gonzaga off the bench.
Added Few: "They are a tough, tough out, and always have been," he said, before adding: "They're a really, really good program. They come at you, and you have to beat them. They don't beat themselves, because of the way they attack you in a lot of different areas."
Bryce Pressley led Portland with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Dane Pineau had 18 points, eight boards and five assists to help the Gaels rally in the second half and survive the Lions.
Emmett Naar aded 14 points and six assists for Saint Mary's, which trailed LMU 29-25. The Lions had as much as six points with one minute left in the first half. The Gaels will face Pepperdine, who outlasted San Francisco 90-86 Saturday, at 6 p.m. PT in Monday's semifinals.
Steven Haney led the Lions with 19 points.
Nick Emery scored a team-high 15 points, including three 3-pointers, to lift the BYU men's basketball team to a 72-60 win Saturday over Santa Clara in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament at Orleans Arena.
Kyle Collinsworth added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Cougars, who advanced to face the winner of Gonzaga and Portland in Monday's semifinals.
Jared Brownridge scored a game-high 30 points to go along with five rebounds for the Broncos.
For complete game coverage, click here.
The WCC honored BYU women's hoops star Lexi Eaton Rydalch as the league's all-time leading scorer during the second half of BYU's men's quarterfinal against Santa Clara. The league presented her with a game ball, and the BYU-heavy fans in attendance gave her and head coach Jeff Judkins a standing ovation.
[.@byuwbb's @lexirydalch21 honored during the break as the #WCChoops all-time leading scorer.](https://www.instagram.com/p/BClnnjjp_wO/) A video posted by Sean (@dseanksl) on
Meanwhile, in the game, Jared Brownridge cut the BYU lead to 42-41 on a 3-pointer with 14:27 left, but BYU scored the next five points to take a 47-41 lead with 13:00 remaining.
Santa Clara pulled within three midway through the half, but BYU responded with an 11-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by freshmen Nick Emery and Zac Seljaas, and Kyle Davis' tip-in for an 11-0 run.
Emery — who scored a team-high 11 in the opening 20 minutes — was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, including this triple from NBA range:
INSTACLIP: @NickEmery04 with 11 pts including 3/4 from three. @BYUbasketball leads @SantaClaraHoops 26-11 #WCCHoopspic.twitter.com/Czxzgczrrc — BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) March 5, 2016
But that was also the Cougars' last field goal until Chase Fischer nailed a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left on the clock as the Broncos made a charge. Fischer and Seljaas gave BYU a 10-point margin at the break with back-to-back threes to end the half.
BYU has never lost to Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament, but needed a late jumper from Tyler Haws a year ago to get past the Broncos en route to the tourney title game.
Starting lineup Saturday:
Today's starters ...WATCH ▶▶▶ BYUtv
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) March 5, 2016
LISTEN ▶▶▶ KSL 102.7FM/1160AM and SiriusXM 143#BYUhoops#GoCougspic.twitter.com/LWKpwUWKwu
Brandon Brown scored 20 points to help the Lions hold off a late charge from the Toreros. Steven Haney added 12 points for LMU, which advanced to face top-seeded Saint Mary's at 7 p.m. PT in Saturday's quarterfinals.
Duda Sanadze and Olin Carter II tallied 20 points and six rebounds apiece for San Diego, which was outscored 14-7 off the bench.
For the first time since expanding to 10 teams, the WCC hosted just one play-in game. Pacific was ruled ineligible for the postseason following an academic scandal at the school.
Lexi Eaton Rydalch totaled 28 points, 12 rebounds and five steals to lead the BYU women's basketball team to the win over Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the WCC Tournament. Kalani Purcell added 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, giving BYU two double-double players in the team's postseason opener.
For a complete recap, click here.
BYU opened the second quarter on a 14-0 run, and allowed just two Pepperdine field goals in the quarter — both inside the final 96 seconds. Lexi Eaton Rydalch led all scorers with 14 first-half points, and Kalani Purcell totaled seven points, seven rebounds and three assists.
HALF: BYU leads Pepperdine 30-20!!
— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) March 4, 2016
Lexi with 14p/5r, Kalani with 7p/7r/3a. #BYUHoops#NotDoneYetpic.twitter.com/jQDOeLh6MI
Top-seeded BYU opens the tournament Friday at 12 p.m. PT against Pepperdine. The Waves (7-23) topped Pacific (13-17), 81-72 on Thursday behind 21 points and eight rebounds from Paige Fecske. Four Waves scored in double figures, including Allie Green's 17 points . The winner will face fourth-seeded Santa Clara in Monday's semifinals. The Broncos outlasted fifth-seed Gonzaga, 59-58 on Thursday. Marie Bertholdt led SCU with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Lori Parkinson added 19 points and seven rebounds.
Welcome to KSL.com's live coverage of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. We'll post updated scores, stats, highlights, breaking news and commentary as the Cougars try to make a run at the conference tournament title through the championship game Tuesday, March 8 at the Orleans Arena.
