Gonzaga Is Not to Be Denied

Adam Morrison scored the first six points of the second half Thursday night and No. 17 Gonzaga wiped out a 12-point deficit on the way to a 68-63 victory over St. Mary’s.

The Gaels’ 38-26 halftime lead didn’t last and neither did the way the teams were shooting. Gonzaga held St. Mary’s to two field goals over the final 12 minutes and avenged an earlier loss to the Gaels.

“Don’t hang your heads,” Morrison recounted when asked what was said at halftime. “We’re playing pretty good ‘D.’ We need to rebound and play smarter.”

Morrison and point guard Derek Raivio each scored 19 points for the Bulldogs, 16-4 overall and 6-2 in the West Coast Conference, who made 15 of 25 shots from the field in the second half while holding the Gaels to seven-for-29 shooting over the final 20 minutes.

“We had to prove to them they were not going to beat us at home,” Morrison said.

St. Mary’s (19-6, 6-2) was trying to become the first WCC team to beat Gonzaga twice in a season since San Diego in 1997.

“I hope we understand that defense is the key to having a great year,” said Ronny Turiaf, who had 14 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga.

Paul Marigney, who scored 30 points in St. Mary’s 89-81 victory over Gonzaga on Jan. 8, picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and finished with 10 points before fouling out.

“I think we got up a bit and felt comfortable and relaxed a bit,” Marigney said. “And we didn’t make shots down the stretch.”

Gonzaga is 33-0 at home when ranked and the Bulldogs have won 21 in a row at home.

The Gaels’ win last month was the Bulldogs’ first league loss in more than a year. It was St. Mary’s first victory over Gonzaga after 17 consecutive losses.

Raivio tied a team record by making his 41st consecutive free throw, but his streak ended later.