SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 9 (UPI) -- Ronny Turiaf logged 29 points to power the third-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs to an 84-71 victory over St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference championship game.
Gonzaga (27-2) will enter the NCAA Tournament on a 20-game winning streak and captured the WCC crown for the fifth time in six seasons. The Bulldogs lost to San Diego in last year's title game.
Turiaf was a major reason why Gonzaga needed a late rally to escape in Sunday's semifinals with a 63-62 triumph over Santa Clara, scoring only 10 points. But he had a pair of key baskets in the final minute of that contest and picked up right where he left off in front of a crowd that included NBA executives and scouts, most notably Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points before St. Mary's (19-12) made a run, pulling within 70-66 on E.J. Rowland's two foul shots with just over five minutes left. Tony Skinner answered with a 3-pointer and Turiaf muscled his way to a three-point play for a 10-point margin with 4:10 to go.
Turiaf, who had a double-double by half-time, also finished with 14 rebounds. Gonzaga held a 37-28 edge on the glass to make a case for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
