Saint Mary's snaps 8-game losing streak to Gonzaga 70-67

Jan 22, 2016, 01:56 am

MORAGA, Calif. -- Evan Fitzner scored 20 points and Saint Mary's survived a late mental error to beat Gonzaga 70-67 for sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference.

Joe Rahon made 1 of 2 free throws with 6.6 seconds left to put Saint Mary's up 68-67. He then intentionally fouled Eric McClellan, thinking the Gaels had a foul to give. But McClellan missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Fitzner hit two free throws with 2.9 seconds left and Gonzaga's Josh Perkins hit the front rim on a heave at the buzzer.

Emmett Naar added 15 points for Saint Mary (16-2, 7-1), which ended Gonzaga's nation-leading 13-game road winning streak. The Gaels also snapped their eight-game losing streak against the Zags.

Saint Mary's went on a 14-3 run to take a 65-64 lead -- its first advantage since 4-2. Rahon sank a 3-pointer and picked the pocket of Domantas Sabonis, which led to Fitzner's layup to cut Saint Mary's deficit to 64-63 with 3:34 left. Rahon hit a contested go-ahead layup with 2:45 left.

McClellan finished with 23 points for Gonzaga (14-5, 6-2), which led by as many as 15 points in the second half.