It wasn't pretty, but it was effective.

Gonzaga grabbed a 38-25 halftime lead over Saint Mary's in the WCC championship game Monday. The Bulldogs didn't shoot particularly well (14 of 33), gave up 10 offensive rebounds and had several stretches of generally ragged play.

Still, they generated enough offense (Micah Downs 10 points, Matt Bouldin seven points and four assists, and 12 points from reserves Demetri Goodson and Steven Gray) to build a comfortable lead. Downs also had 10 rebounds.

The Gaels had their own issues. They were a frigid 8 of 33 from the field and just 1 of 7 on 3-pointers. They were assessed a technical foul for dunking in pre-game warmups and trailed 1-0 before the opening tip off after Bouldin made 1 of 2 free throws.

Patty Mills was 1 of 10 and scored three points. Diamon Simpson scored eight points, most created by his four offensive rebounds.

More later.