Zags Draw Santa Clara In Semifinal Match-Up

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The wait is over for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the regular season WCC champs will face a familiar foe in Santa Clara in the semifinals of the WCC tournament.

The No. 4 seed Broncos beat San Diego on Saturday 80-69 to advance to the semi’s. Gonzaga earned the top seed by going 14-0 in conference play.

The two teams met each other last on February 26th. Gonzaga won that game 81-75 thanks to Josh Heytvelt’s career high 29 points.

The Zags also got help from Matt Bouldin in that match-up. The junior guard had 23 points against the Broncos in their last meeting.

Gonzaga is 6-1 against the Santa Clara in WCC tournament play. The Zags have won seven straight against the Broncos going into Sunday’s game.

The Zags will rely on Heytvelt’s team leading 15.2 points per game average. Bouldin averages 13.8 points per game. 

Santa Clara’s John Bryant, WCC player of the year, is averaging 18.2 points per game. He dominated San Diego on Saturday, grabbing a tournament record 27 rebounds against the Toreros.

Bryant and the Broncos will have to be electric as the Zags have history on their side. The Bulldogs have made it to the WCC championship game the last 11 seasons. They begin their quest for their 10th WCC title.

The Zags and the Broncos face-off in Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.