For the fifth time in their last eight meetings, Saint Mary's toppled Gonzaga to clinch a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title. The game marked their final meeting as conference opponents, which could not excite Gaels guard Mikey Lewis much more than it already had.
Lewis spearheaded Saint Mary's victory with a career-high 31-point outburst while shooting 7-for-13 from deep. The sophomore carried his excitement into the media room after the game, where his enthusiasm lingered during his post-game presser.
“It feels amazing,” Lewis said as he slapped the table, via The Spokesman-Review reporter Theo Lawson. “It definitely feels great. Long-standing rivalry. Last time before they leave the WCC, so it also feels great to know that — what is it five now that we've ran this? It feels good knowing that.”
Mikey Lewis on Gaels winning at least a share of their fourth straight WCC title.
Lewis slaps the table, “It feels amazing.”
“It also feels good to know four (years) now that we’ve ran this. It feels good.” pic.twitter.com/2XQKw6TmvV
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) March 1, 2026
After enduring a midseason slump, Lewis ended the regular season on a tear. The sharpshooter has breached 20 points in three of his last four games and shot 39.6 percent from three-point range in February.
Although Gonzaga has historically dominated the WCC, Saint Mary's recent success in their head-to-head rivalry has become personal for both teams. Bulldogs star forward Graham Ike admitted how much their win over the Gaels earlier in the season meant to him to end his collegiate career.
Despite Saint Mary's season-ending victory, Gonzaga will still begin the WCC Tournament as the conference's No. 1 overall seed. The Bulldogs own the tiebreaker, having beaten third-place Santa Clara twice in the regular season, while the Gaels went 1-1 against the Broncos.
