Football
Associated Press 16y

Golden perfect 6-of-6 from 3-point range as Gaels beat Gonzaga 89-85 in OT

MORAGA, Calif. -- Todd Golden, the fifth-year senior, knows
all the ins and outs of Saint Mary's rivalry with Gonzaga. Patty
Mills, the standout freshman from Australia, has been hearing about
it for years now.

Golden hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night with 1:19 left in
overtime, Mills scored the final 10 points of regulation and five
more in extra time, and the 25th-ranked Gaels held off the Zags
89-85 on Monday night.

"It was everything I expected," Mills said.

Golden went 6-for-6 from long range and finished with 19 points,
his 3-point shooting a school record.

"I was shooting well in warmup," he said. "Sometimes it's
easier to shoot in these tough games because you have so much
Adrenalin."

Mills scored 23 despite shooting 0-for-6 on 3s and 5-of-15
overall. He made 13 of 18 free throws, six over the final 2:55 of
regulation and five in OT, and had four steals and four assists.

"What was really going through my mind was that I wished I'd
had a fifth slice of vegemite toast," he said. "I had four for
lunch today. When you're in a slump like that, you really have to
believe in yourself."

Omar Samhan scored five points in OT and finished with 15 for
the Gaels (19-3, 6-1), who stayed unbeaten at home at 13-0 in yet
another wild game between these West Coast Conference rivals. Saint
Mary's also moved into a tie for first place in the conference with
Gonzaga and San Diego, which won at Pepperdine.

Diamon Simpson added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Gaels,
who overcame 26-for-42 free-throw shooting to beat the Zags at home
in McKeon Pavilion for the third time in four years and second in a
row.

"This one gives you confidence because you know you beat a good
team," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "All teams like to
play up tempo. We knew there were going to be a ton of possessions,
which there were."

Gonzaga's Micah Downs missed short on a 3 that would have tied
it with 5 seconds to play.

Jeremy Pargo did everything he could to keep the Zags in it,
hitting a tying 3 with 3:17 left and another the next time down to
give Gonzaga the lead. He scored nine in OT and finished with 27
points and nine assists for Gonzaga, which had three players foul
out during the extra session.

Austin Daye scored 15 points for Gonzaga (17-6, 6-1), which
faced a ranked conference opponent for the first time since Jan.
27, 1990, the Loyola Marymount team featuring Bo Kimble and the
late Hank Gathers.

"People nationally think we have to be perfect in this
league," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "That's an unfair burden
put on us."

Oh how the tides have turned in this rivalry. This time, for a
change, it's Saint Mary's that is the ranked team while the Zags
are hanging below receiving votes.

"Todd is Golden!" the fans chanted. But the students didn't
rush the floor this time as they have in recent wins in this
series. Perhaps because the Gaels were no longer considerable
underdogs.

"Coming in, we still thought we were the better team," Zags
senior David Pendergraft said. "This is still our league. We've
won it seven straight times for a reason. But they're doing really
well and made big plays."

This one stood up to the thrillers that these teams are known
for, with regulation ending in wild fashion at 74-all.

Mills picked off a pass from Daye, drove the length of the floor
and converted a go-ahead three-point play with 23.3 seconds left.
Pargo scored moments later, then Mills was fouled and missed the
first of two free throws -- giving Gonzaga another chance. Abdullahi
Kuso dunked with 5.9 seconds left and Tron Smith missed an
off-balanced attempt just before the buzzer. Kuso would foul out 56
seconds into OT, then Daye and Pendergraft followed him to the
bench.

The Gaels just stayed in the poll this week, dropping four spots
after the team's 63-55 loss at San Diego on Jan. 28 that snapped a
five-game winning streak.

And it was the regular raucous, standing-room only crowd of more
than 3,500 packed into McKeon Pavilion for this nationally
televised matchup. Students began their usual chants of "Beat the
Zags!" nearly an hour before tipoff in the same building where the
Gaels already upset then-No. 12 Oregon back on Nov. 20, and also
defeated Drake and Seton Hall.

Gonzaga, which has reached nine straight NCAA tournaments and
could get in again even if it doesn't win the WCC tournament,
started the season ranked 14th and was picked by the conference's
coaches to win an eighth straight regular-season title.

Saint Mary's and Gonzaga will play again March 1 in Spokane
during the final weekend of conference action.

Saint Mary's shot 47 percent and led 39-37 at halftime.

Andris Biedrins of the Golden State Warriors sat courtside on
one baseline.

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