Saint Mary's Powers Past Gonzaga; Woo-Hooing Ensues In Moraga

Saint Mary's came out shooting -- unleashing Aussie import Matthew Dellavedova early in Thursday's contest with the Gonzaga Bulldogs -- and out-hustled the visitors in a game marked by the unselfish play of standouts committed to defensing the Zag's Big Men.

Dellavedova splashed five 3-pointers on his way to 26 points for the evening and also arranged six assists, the Gaels totting up a rare rout of the 21st-ranked Bulldogs with an 83-62 win in West Coast Conference play.

The Gael Force -- those chanting, face-painted sections of students on hand to make their distaste for the reviled Zags known -- stormed the court after the victory and celebrated into the night.

Moragan Peter Campbell watched the game at Dan's Irish Sports Bar in Walnut Creek and said things picked up with the arrival of some Saint Mary's students after their win.

"They were pumped," Campbell said. "High fives with everyone and the old guy next to me got kissed. I bought them a round."

Saint Mary's chalked up the victory to standout performances and unselfish play, with Brad Waldow adding 17 points and 10 rebounds to the Gael effort and Stephen Holt knocking down 13 points with six assists.

Gaels center and leading scorer Rob Jones quietly took one for his team Thursday, concentrating on defending Gonzaga's big men and ultimately helping to snap the Bulldog's eight-game winning streak.

"Rob Jones probably played the best game I've seen anybody play without scoring 'til the end," Bennett told the Associated Press. "We didn't give them easy baskets and we were able to take away their inside game."