No. 19 Saint Mary’s back in WCC Tournament final after defeating Pepperdine 74-59

Augustas Marciulionis and Paulius Murauskas each scored 15 points and No. 19 and top-seeded Saint Mary's defeated No. 9 seed Pepperdine 74-59 in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Monday night. The Gaels (28-4) play second-seeded Gonzaga — which defeated No. 3 San Francisco 85-76 — in the championship game Tuesday night, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Defending tournament champion Saint Mary's, which has won seven consecutive games and 17 of 18, won't have to sweat out making the Big Dance for the fourth time in a row.