Freshman guard Pangos leads Gonzaga to WCC final

It has happened so often, it has become a rite of March.

If the West Coast Conference has a postseason basketball tournament, just put Gonzaga down for a spot in the championship game.

The second-seeded Bulldogs (25-5) will play for the title for the 15th consecutive year -- they are seeking their 11th championship in that span -- when they face Saint Mary's at 6 p.m. today at Orleans Arena. The top-seeded Gaels (26-5) earned their spot in the final by defeating No. 5 San Francisco 83-78 on Saturday.

This will be the fourth year in a row the schools have faced each other in the championship game. Gonzaga has won two of the past three postseason matchups, including a 75-63 victory in 2011.

"I think it's amazing," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of his program's sustained success in early March. "Fifteen straight -- you try to explain to your young guys how the intensity gets ratcheted up. You've got teams playing for their lives. I just think it's a credit to all those players who've come through the program, especially some of the guys who got overlooked, like Casey Calvary and Cory Violette, guys who gave us huge contributions but maybe didn't get the credit they deserved."

The last time Gonzaga did not play in the WCC tournament championship game was 1997. Back then, Kevin Pangos was taking his first dribbles as a 4-year-old growing up outside Toronto. Now 19, the 6-foot-1-inch freshman guard scored 30 points in the semifinals Saturday, leading Gonzaga past Brigham Young, 77-58.

It was Pangos' first time on the big stage in March, and he appeared right at home.

"I thought the atmosphere was unbelievable," Pangos said of the 7,828 fans who jammed inside Orleans Arena on Saturday. "It was a lot of fun."

Few said Pangos' dedication to getting better every day allowed him to flourish immediately. Pangos is averaging a team-best 14.0 points and was named the WCC Newcomer of the Year.

"He knows that he has put the work in," Few said. "He's Derek Raivio-like with his workouts. When you have that in the back of your head, that's a strong thing to draw off of."

Raivio was the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 WCC tournament.

The Gaels know how good Pangos is. After holding him to 12 points in their Jan. 12 meeting in Moraga, Calif., which Saint Mary's won 83-62, Pangos exploded for 27 points when Gonzaga beat Saint Mary's 73-59 in the rematch Feb. 9 in Spokane, Wash.

"He will make you pay if you let up," Gaels coach Randy Bennett said. "He's an elite shooter. He can really stroke it.

"I think he's become the head of the monster up there. He's the one who makes them go."

Saint Mary's guard Jorden Page said the key for the Gaels is to limit Pangos' perimeter opportunities.

"We have to take the 3-point line away from him and make him shoot (2-pointers)," Page said.

For the first time, the two finalists had a day off between games. Because BYU doesn't compete on Sunday for religious reasons, the WCC altered its tournament format, starting a day earlier and playing its semifinals Saturday. The top two seeds receive a double-bye into the semis, which means Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have to play only twice in a three-day span.

"I think it's going to make for a better game," Bennett said of tonight's nationally televised final on ESPN. "Both teams get some extra rest and have a little more time to prepare. So thanks, BYU."

In the women's title game, top-seeded Gonzaga (26-4) faces No. 2 Brigham Young (25-6) at noon today at Orleans Arena. The Gonzaga women have reached the final six straight years and are looking for their fourth consecutive WCC tournament championship.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.