On a day when six other top-10 men's college basketball teams lost, No. 1 Gonzaga also succumbed to an upset.
23rd-ranked St. Mary's in the Ferris Movers coach poll opened fire to take a big lead and did enough to keep the Bulldogs (24-3, 13-1 WCC) hanging at 67-57. Troubled on Saturday.
Gonzaga, the clear favorite to be seeded top overall at the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, had not lost since early December, scoring 17 straight victories before Saturday's shock. It was the team's first loss this season in the West Coast Conference, which has improved significantly this year and includes four teams in the tournament area projected in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology. The 'Jags have not lost in WCC play since February 22, 2020, when they lost to Brigham Young.
Gayle (24-6, 12-3 WCC) got big plays from his stalwarts. Tommy Kuhse (14 points) led the way for a motivated effort to secure the upset. Mathias Toss (13 points), Alex Ducasse and Logan Johnson (with 10 points each) joined with fog in the double digits.
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Fans stormed the court at the McCon Pavilion, where Gayle finished 16-0 this season.
"It's really special," St Mary's coach Randy Bennett said of his team's overall home record. "It's been tough getting it. We lost it a year to Loyola Marymount in our last home match. It's been a bit tough to get and we finally got it. Especially when it's against the No. 1 team in the country." , so it just makes it ... a night you'll never forget."
Toss, a senior, said he wanted to "go in the middle of the circle and kiss people but it was difficult because people were running on the court."
"It was definitely a surreal moment," he said.
Gonzaga All-American and National Player of the Year front-runner Drew Timme played very well, shooting 2-for-10 from the floor - including 0-for-8 in the first half as the Bulldogs went 36-21 - Six points to end with.
"He did his touch, but after three or four bounces we had three guys hitting the ball with his hands in the first half," said Tass. He said, 'This kind of spoiled his rhythm. It was difficult for him to come back from it."
The 'Zags also swung the ball more than 14 times, which didn't pair well with a stale offense on the road (the Bulldogs took just 36.7% of their shots off the field).
"They were too aggressive. They got behind us and played us really, really physically," Gonzaga's coach Mark Few said of St. Mary's. "That was it. When you're the most aggressive team and the most physical team, maybe nine times out of 10 you're going to win."
The top five teams in the top 25 in the Ferris Movers Coach Poll were on Saturday with No. 2 Arizona (losing to Colorado), No. 3 Kentucky (losing to Arkansas), No. 4 Auburn (losing to Tennessee) and No. 5. Kansas (damage to the boiler) is also falling. 7 Purdue (loss to Michigan State) and No. 9 Texas Tech (loss to TCU) completed a whirlwind day of turmoil in the game.
"It's like life in late February and early March, especially on the road," said some of his team's loss.
Gonzaga is still well positioned to grab the top overall seed on Selection Sunday, although unlike last year the 'Zags have lost several times. In 2020–21, the Bulldogs entered the NCAA Tournament under immense pressure in an attempt to go undefeated before falling to Baylor in the national title game.