The Saint Mary's Gaels were the number one team in the West Coast Conference, so it's only fitting that they end up in the finals of the 2012 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships. The Gaels beat the San Francisco Dons 83-78 Saturday night in the tournament semifinals from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, behind 19 points from Clint Steindl, including six three-pointers.
The game was close throughout, with San Francisco leading 38-34 at halftime, and neither team leading by more than 10 points. Rob Jones had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Saint Mary's (26-5), which shot 54.2% for the game, and made 11 of 26 shots from three-point range (42.3%). Saint Mary's had five players score in double figures.
Cody Doolin led the Dons (20-13) with 28 points and also had five rebounds and five assists, and Perris Blackwell added 19 points on eight-of-10 shooting. The Gaels outrebounded the Dons 29-20 on the night.
The Gaels advance to Monday's tournament final, which will be against the winner of Gonzaga vs. BYU, and be televised by ESPN at 6 p.m. PST.