LAS VEGAS — The Saint Mary’s women’s basketball team (20-11) used a big second half to defeat BYU 59-49 and advance to the West Coast Conference Championship game for the first championship appearance since the 2010-11 season.
SMC outscored BYU 39-22 in the second half, including a third-quarter 13-0 run. The Gaels outrebounded the Cougars 50-25 and kept BYU scoreless in the final period for more than the first five minutes of the final quarter.
Saint Mary’s will face top seeded Gonzaga in Tuesday’s title game at 1 p.m. PT, with the winner getting the auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament.