St. Mary's beats San Francisco 83-78 for WCC final

(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

By LYNN DeBRUIN

LAS VEGAS (AP) Clint Steindl scored 19 points, including six 3-pointers, and top-seeded Saint Mary's defeated San Francisco 83-78 Saturday to earn a spot in the West Coast Conference tournament final for the fourth straight year.

Saint Mary's (26-5) faces the winner of Gonzaga-Brigham Young in Monday's championship. The Gaels swept BYU during the regular season by a combined 30 points and split with Gonzaga, including a 14-point road loss on Feb. 9.

Saturday's win was the Gaels' 14th straight over the Dons.

Cody Doolin led San Francisco (20-13) with a career-high 28 points.

Saint Mary's trailed the entire first half and didn't take its first lead until 12:12 left to play, when WCC player of the year Matthew Dellavedova fed Brad Waldow for a layup and a 53-51 Gaels lead.

Michael Williams' 3-pointer with 6 seconds left pulled the Dons within 81-78, but Saint Mary's held on for the win.

Updated March 3, 2012