Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

Gonzaga's toughest test of the season had the same result as its first 25 games, as the Bulldogs knocked off Saint Mary's 74-64 to keep their perfect season intact.   

Top-ranked Gonzaga put on an offensive clinic, shooting 55.3 percent from the field. Johnathan Williams and Przemek Karnowski led the way with a combined 36 points and 18 rebounds. 

Karnowski did give the Bulldogs a brief scare when he left the game in the first half due to an apparent ankle injury, but he returned without showing signs of damage. 

This game was a perfect microcosm of everything Gonzaga does well. There was a balanced offensive attack, with Williams and Karnowski spearheading the charge, Nigel Williams-Goss scoring 14 points and Silas Melson adding 12 points off the bench. 

ESPN's Eamonn Brennan highlighted what separates this Gonzaga crew from so many of head coach Mark Few's previously great teams: "If you hear sonnets to Gonzaga's depth and aren't quite sure why, here are two instructive examples: 1) Zach Collins, a potential first-round pick, is probably the most talented player on the floor in Moraga tonight, and he averages 17 minutes per game off the bench. 2) Gonzaga's points, assists and steals leader, [Williams-Goss], spent the last 10 minutes of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, in a rabid road gym, against a legit Saint Mary's team…and the Bulldogs lead by nine at halftime anyway," he wrote.

Saint Mary's is not just any other team in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels entered play with a 22-2 record (12-1 in WCC), with their lone conference loss coming against Gonzaga on January 14. 

But Gonzaga is operating at a different level, with ESPN's Lisa Kerney offering this nugget before play began:

Saint Mary's made things interesting early in the second half, cutting its deficit to 49-44 before Few called a timeout to compose his team. Gonzaga responded with a 5-0 run to extend the lead back to 10 points with 12:32 left. 

Jock Landale was the only Saint Mary's player who could figure out Gonzaga's defense, as he scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. No one else had more than nine points for the Gaels.

Beyond wanting to keep the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 polls and a perfect record going, Gonzaga used this game to send a message to the NCAA tournament selection committee. 

The committee unveiled the initial Top 16 for the tournament Saturday, with the Bulldogs coming in on the one line but as the fourth overall seed behind Villanova, Kansas and Baylor. 

Even though the Feb. 11 rankings don't mean much with four weeks before March 12's Selection Sunday, the Bulldogs would be justified if they felt slighted. 

Few, to his credit, told Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review in late January that he wouldn't let his team dwell on outside factors.

"Again, I'm not looking at March or late February," Few said. "As soon as I'm done with you guys I'll start watching the Pepperdine game from the last time we played them. We have a really quick turnaround. I just kind of live day to day, not a big forward thinker. Guess that's a flaw of mine, but it kind of works."

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis put forth the big question after Gonzaga's impressive win:

Gonzaga showed it's a terrific team Saturday. There will always be doubters concerning the Bulldogs before the NCAA tournament because they've been a No. 1 seed (2013) but got knocked out by Wichita State in the round of 32 and have never made it to a Final Four. 

But this year's group has been firing on all cylinders since the season started. Every speed bump put in Gonzaga's way has yielded positive results, and no one should dismiss how good and deep the roster Few has assembled looks after its latest marquee win.   

Postgame Reaction

On the subject of the selection committee's ranking of Gonzaga on Saturday, Williams took the high road. 

"We're not thinking about all that," Williams said, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports). "We're thinking about getting better each and every week because if we keep getting better, nobody can stop us."

"There was a lot of hype about this game," Karnowski said, per Dubow. "We knew we had to come here and play aggressive."

Saint Mary's guard Joe Rahon was happy with the fight his team showed, but he admitted there was more it could have done to make the game competitive. 

"We weren't happy with the start," Rahon said, per Dubow. "We were able to fight back, fight back, fight back every time they tried to push out a little bit but couldn't get back that last time."