WCC Tournament

A spirited contingent of Gael alumni, students, and other hoops supporters traveled to Spokane for the annual West Coast Conference basketball championships March 2-6.

Gonzaga University served as the host school for this year's tourney, which determines the league's automatic qualifiers to the NCAA men's and women's national tournament fields. The men's and women's tournaments run concurrently.

Saint Mary's women, as a #5 seed, lost to Pepperdine 70-58 in the opening (quarterfinal) round of their draw. The men, who earned a first-round tournament bye after finishing third in the league regular season, defeated Santa Clara in overtime 76-72 before losing a night later to Loyola Marymount 66-63 in the tournament semifinals in a game televised nationally on ESPN2.

Alumni Relations hosted a pregame reception on Saturday March 4 in the Bing Crosby Alumni House (named for one of GU's most famous alumni) for over 60 Gael alums and supporters. The fortified contingent then moved to Gonzaga's 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center and cheered the Gaels to their win over rival Santa Clara.

To learn more about when Gael events may be happening in your area, visit the alumni events calendar at www.stmarys-ca.edu/alumni-and-friends.