A Grip on Sports: If you want to use one key word to describe Gonzaga’s WCC title win over Saint Mary’s, ‘effort’ is probably the right one

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Every college basketball game is a story. A chapter in a season-long book. Even games like Tuesday night’s West Coast Conference men’s championship tilt in Las Vegas. The title of this chapter in the storied Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s rivalry? “How To Run Through a Wall of Bricks.”

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• The Zags and Gaels have met in the WCC title game an NCAA-best 15 times. No one, not Duke vs. North Carolina in the ACC, the inventor of the conference tournament, has met more often in the title game.

But none of the previous WCC matchups featured worse outside shooting. And I can prove it. Gonzaga made one 3-point shot – Braden Huff’s in the game’s fifth minute – in 15 attempts. Saint Mary’s? The Gaels never hit one. Not even a final-second banked-in heave, when the outcome was decided. They missed 16.

Combined, that’s 1 for 31. Three percent. A great mortgage rate, sure, but a terrible shooting percentage.

How does that happen? Familiarity. As in familiarity breeds contemptable offense. Throw in the stakes for both teams – too much to list here but pride and NCAA seeding are on the list – and it’s easy to understand the unrelenting effort both teams showed on the defensive end.

It was that effort that strained everyone – from the coaches (Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett was particularly animated up until about the Gaels 15th long miss, when he just shrugged his shoulders and turned away) to the officials to the usually controlled Ryan Nembhard.

Strained, yes. Broke? Nope. And we have receipts. Well, one, actually, but that’s enough.

Mitchell Saxen had just scored his 20th point with 95 seconds remaining, cutting the Zags’ lead to five. One stop was all the Gaels needed to have a real chance.

Saxen and Augustus Marciulionus supplied it, harassing Nolan Hickman into a bad pass, which Saxen controlled and tipped ahead to the WCC’s season-long MVP. Nothing stood between Marciulionus, a layup and, maybe, game-changing momentum.

Then Hickman did something special. Something that should go down in Gonzaga lore. One of the most important defensive plays in his career, a career that has not been resplendent with such things. He didn’t pout. Didn’t hesitate. He just turned and ran. Turned on the jets.

His all-out sprint, coupled with the effort of another Zag that made Marciulionus hesitate just a little at the top of the key, gave him a chance. And that was enough. Hickman swiped the ball away from behind. Killed the Gaels’ last, best chance to grab the Bulldogs by the throat and see if they would choke.

They didn’t. Hickman’s effort led to a Nembhard layup with 50 ticks left. That led to a Khaliff Battle steal and dunk – off a Hickman lob. That led to the net-cutting.

Anyone see that coming before the game? How about with 33 seconds left in the first half?

At that point the Gaels had weathered Gonzaga’s first fast start against Saint Mary’s this season. Had chipped away at GU’s once 12-point lead. Had attacked Nembhard enough the best point guard in the nation – trademark pending – had two fouls and was forced to the bench for the first time this season against them. All the veteran had to do was sit quietly for the final seconds of the half. For once, the near-perfect point guard failed at his assignment. How?

Marciulionus wanted to milk the shot clock to tie GU’s Nembhard-less hands in its final first-half possession. The Gaels trailed by four. Marciulionus let the ball roll in the back court as the game clock – but not the shot clock – melted away.

For some reason Nembhard took exception. Stood up and said something. Referee Marques Pettigrew took exception. Turned and gestured for Nembhard to sit. He didn’t. At least not fast, or quietly, enough. Boom. A technical foul. Nembhard’s third personal. Two – made – free throws for Marciulionus. The lead was down to two. The Gaels had a chance to tie.

But in a game of key defensive plays, Huff made one. He stripped the ball from Saxen. Gave the Bulldogs the final shot. He took it. An open 3-pointer.

It missed – of course. It also didn’t matter.

The Zags had already figured out how to run through the wall of bricks and win.

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WSU: The baseball team traveled to Corvallis yesterday for a matchup with their Pac-12 partner. It wasn’t a fun day for the Cougars. Oregon State won 15-1. … OK, this Athletic story will probably tick you off. But it’s about Jake Dickert so I thought I had to link it. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the Oregon State women, who made the Elite Eight last season and then saw more than a handful of returning players take off for other schools, is back in the NCAA tourney. The Beavers handled Portland in the WCC final. Never bet against Scott Rueck, as John Canzano has learned. … Canzano also has another column from yesterday. … The tournament is going to expand. Bank on it. Even the Big 12 is behind expansion now. … The California men stayed alive in the ACC tournament, though it took two overtimes for the Bears to ensure a third matchup with Stanford this season. … Colorado advanced in the Big 12 tournament after stopping TCU again. … Utah fell in the same tourney. And the plan of the Utes’ home arena is not a remodel but a relocation. … Arizona State exited the tourney in the first round but it looks as if Bobby Hurley will return. … USC may not have won a lot but the Trojans seem to be building something. … Boise State needs to find a way to get past San Diego State to have a chance at an NCAA at-large spot. The same for SDSU. … The Broncos’ Tyson Degenhart, a Mt. Spokane grad, made first team All-Mountain West. … Finally, a story on UC Irvine. If the Pac-12 is looking for a second basketball-only school, I nominate the Anteaters. A perfect fit. And I will volunteer to cover every game the Zags play in the Bren Center. … In football news, Jon Wilner spent some time talking with a bland mouthpiece for the Big Ten about scheduling issues, which also include the West Coast schools playing a large percentage of the conference’s Friday night games last season. The resulting mush did not give much hope of a change. … Yes, Oregon is about to start spring football. The defensive line will look much different. … Colorado will have a new quarterback next season. … Arizona has made more staff hires. … San Diego State has its annual starting-quarterback derby going on. … Most of the news coming out of Fresno State right now is not good for the school.

Gonzaga: I wonder how many of the 15 meetings between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in the WCC title game Jim Meehan has covered. At least 10. He has the game story from the Orleans Arena and helped the folks in the office on the recap with highlights. … Theo Lawson has the buzzer-beater notebook and a story on one more Hickman highlight. Helping Battle with his net-cutting abilities. … Dave Boling was also in Las Vegas and he has this column. … Tyler Tjomsland had his camera ready when Battle threw down his game-clinching dunk. That photo is part of Tjomsland’s gallery. … Greg Lee was still in town. He took some time to write a what-if story about the Zag women. … We can pass along this story on the game from the Mercury News. … Finally, we want to call your attention to this CBS Sports story on college basketball’s 25 brightest stars of the past 25 years. Adam Morrison checks in at fourth on the list. And, yes, he would have made millions in NIL if it had been available.

Idaho: The Vandals’ smiles were short-lived in Boise. After winning a Big Sky tournament game for the first time in years Monday night, they were blown out by co-champion Montana in the men’s semifinals Tuesday. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Montana State men were dumped out of the tournament by Northern Colorado. And Matt Logie was ejected by the officials. … The Montana women upset Northern Arizona and will meet rival Montana State, the favorite, in the finals. The Bobcats topped Idaho State. … The Idaho State men had their best season in almost a decade.

Seahawks: The Hawks will have a bunch of draft picks in April. It gives them a chance to put something special together. And if they don’t? It might just cost John Schneider his job. … They need to find better offensive line options than the first free agent they signed that plays there. … My guess is the last guy on this Athletic list of possible receiver free agent signings is the guy the Hawks will grab. Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Seems to fit their philosophy.

Mariners: I linked this J.P. Crawford story in the Times yesterday. It is on the S-R’s website today. … How is Rick Rizz doing? This story updates all the M’s injuries.

Kraken: With no playoffs in sight, Seattle is looking toward its future.

Sounders: Seattle trailed 1-0 to Cruz Azul – also the name of the next Batman villain – in the Champions Cup quarterfinal decider last night. Had a great shot to tie and sailed it high. Then, a long pass looked like it might lead to a Jordan Morris moment. Until deep into his run Morris pulled up lame. And that was the end of the Sounders’ chances. They fell 4-1 and are out of the tournament.

Golf: Tiger Woods tried to do too much. Probably. And like all almost-50-year-olds, probably, he paid a price. He ruptured his Achilles. Had surgery. Will be out a while. A year? Maybe.

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• Basketball is the ultimate game of runs. Even when no one can hit a shot outside 10 feet, as was the case last night in Las Vegas. The Zags, still ranked eighth in the NET and ninth in Ken Pomeroy’s analytical ratings, had the last one. Thanks to Hickman. Until later …