BOX SCOREPORTLAND, Ore. --Rob Jones had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Saint Mary's defeated Portland 70-43 on Thursday night to give the Gaels at least a share of the West Coast Conference title for the second straight season.
If the Gaels win at USF Saturday, they will clinch the WCC regular season title outright. If they accomplish the feat, it would snap a streak of 11 consecutive seasons in which Gonzaga has won at least a share of the WCC regular season title.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Saint Mary's (24-5, 13-2), which dropped out of the national rankings with losses in three of their previous four games. Clint Steindl finished with 15 points.Nemanja Mitrovic had 14 points for the Pilots (6-22, 3-12), who have lost four straight and 10 of their last 11 games.Portland went up 14-11 early after Mitrovic's layup and free throw. But the Gaels responded with a 9-0 run capped by Matthew Dellavedova's layup that made it 20-14 midway through the first half.Saint Mary's pulled away from there, leading 35-18 at the half. The Gaels led by as many as 31 points in the second half.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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