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Gonzaga ends UTSA’s season with a 67-51 victory in the WBIT first round

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s best season in 16 years came to an end Thursday night in Spokane, Wash. Employing a stifling defense and riding the offense of fifth-year senior forward Yvonne Ejim, the home team Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Roadrunners 67-51 in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

The Roadrunners kept the crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center quiet for only the first few minutes of the game, hitting three 3-point shots in the first five minutes and forging a 17-11 lead. After that, it was pretty much all Gonzaga the rest of the way.

Ejim, from Alberta, Canada, showed off skills on both ends of the court. Not only did she help defend UTSA standout Jordyn Jenkins on one end, she also hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 24 points on the other. Under the boards, she proved to be equally relentless, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds.

Jenkins, the Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, had 14 points and eight rebounds in her last game for the Roadrunners. Defended and sometimes doubled with taller players, the 6-foot redshirt senior from Renton, Wash., couldn’t get much going, finishing four of 13 from the field.

As a team, UTSA didn’t have much spark on the offensive end. The Roadrunners shot 31 percent from the field, including 27 percent in the second half. The 51 points matched the team’s effort in a 55-51 loss on opening day at Texas A&M as the lowest output of the season.

“I just thought they were a lot better than we were today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “I thought they were tougher. Obviously their best player played really, really well and showed why she’s who she is. You know, we just didn’t have the toughness that it took to come in here and win a game on the road.

“They shot the ball really well. We had to be really, really good today to beat them on their home court and we just weren’t. I thought we hung in there as long as we could and we just couldn’t make shots. We didn’t have enough people to make shots. That’s totally what it boiled down to.”

With the victory, the 23-10 Bulldogs will move on to face the Colorado Buffaloes in the WBIT’s second round on Sunday. The loss, meanwhile, will send UTSA home with a final record of 26-5. The team won the AAC regular-season title with a 17-1 record, established a program best with 26 victories and went 13-0 at home in the Convocation Center.

Perhaps the only season in the history of women’s basketball at the school that might rival this one would be 2008-09, when the Rae Rippetoe-Blair coached Roadrunners went 24-9, won the Southland Conference title and reached the NCAA tournament, losing by five on the road in the first round to the No. 2 seed Baylor Bears.

“We had a great year,” Aston said. “Super proud of ’em. For lack of a better word, we just ran out of gas.”

Speaking on the last postgame radio broadcast of the season, Aston thanked the fans for turning out and supporting the team. The regular-season finale on March 1 set a school record with 2,500 fans on a day when the Roadrunners clinched the AAC regular-season crown outright and cut down the nets.

“It’s been a special ride,” the coach said. “I appreciate everybody that’s been a part of it. You always hate for a season to end. But I’m extremely proud of how we played.”

Records

UTSA 26-5
Gonzaga 23-10

Notable

UTSA played without guard Aysia Proctor, a key contributor in the Roadrunners’ drive to the AAC title. Proctor, a sophomore from Clemens, averaged 4.5 points in 20 minutes per game off the bench this season. Meanwhile, for Gonzaga, the season continues Sunday with a second-round meeting against the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado advanced with a 73-41 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.

Individuals

UTSA – Outside of Jenkins, guard Sidney Love emerged as the only other player who made much of an impact on the offensive end. Love produced 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Love hit five of 12 shots from the field and five of seven at the line. Forward Idara Udo started off well, scoring seven in the first half. But after intermission, she didn’t score, getting herself into foul trouble and later fouling out. Nina De Leon Negron, the Newcomer of the Year in the AAC, had five points and four rebounds in her last game at UTSA.

Gonzaga – Yvonne Ejim was the story for the Bulldogs. Outside of her 24 points and 16 rebounds, she also played the passing lanes and picked up seven steals. A few of her teammates also chipped in with major contributions. Guard Allie Turner scored 13 points and knocked down three 3-point shots. With her long-range shooting, Turner became the school’s single-season leader with 98. Maud Huijbens, a 6-foot-3 post player, had 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. Ejim’s 10 of 15 shooting from the floor allowed Gonzaga to hit 45.5 percent for the game.

First half

After a slow start, Bulldogs rolled to a 36-27 halftime lead.

Ejim, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, scored 17 points to lead the Zags. On the last play of the half, she stole the ball under the UTSA basket, broke out on the dribble and went all the way to the other end, Euro-stepping her way to a driving layup at the buzzer.

Ejim finished the half shooting seven of eight from the field. The Zags, as a team, shot 51.9 percent. After the opening five minutes, the Roadrunners’ offense scuffled. At the end of the first quarter, in the face of a tricky halfcourt trap, they turned it over five straight times.

As a result, the Zags scored 12 straight points to the end of the period, pushing out to a 23-17 advantage.

Idara Udo scored seven points in the half for the Roadrunners, and star forward Jordyn Jenkins had six. Gonzaga held Jenkins to two of seven shooting. The Roadrunners shot only 35.5 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

UTSA’s Sidney Love on the WBIT: ‘We want to keep winning for ourselves’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

If the UTSA Roadrunners want to prove a point that they deserved to play at home in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, they will get the opportunity to do so tonight when they take the floor in Spokane, Wash., against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

But as far as Roadrunners guard Sidney Love is concerned, she just wants to win to extend the time she can spend with her teammates.

“We want to keep winning for ourselves,” the former Steele High School standout said. “We’re not really worried about anybody else. Winning is a good feeling, especially with this group that we’ve got.

“We’ve got seniors we want to play for. We’ve got coaches that we want to play for. Everybody’s bought into each other. So, that’s the motivation.”

The Roadrunners (26-4) have experienced an emotional whirlwind in the past 20 days.

On the first day of March, they clinched the American Athletic Conference regular season championship outright, securing the title by beating Florida Atlantic at home and then celebrating it by cutting down the nets at the Convocation Center.

In their regular-season finale on March 4, they journeyed on the road and walloped the East Carolina Pirates, 67-48, putting an exclamation mark on a 17-1 run through the AAC schedule.

UTSA then opened in the AAC tournament on March 10 in Fort Worth against the Rice Owls. The Owls, seeded ninth in the tournament, stunned the top-seeded Roadrunners, 62-58, throwing their postseason destiny into question.

Last Saturday, they held a practice, and then did so again on Sunday as they prepared to watch the postseason bracket announcements. Deep down, the Roadrunners knew they weren’t likely to get the NCAA tournament invitation, realizing that the second-tier WBIT was their most likely destination.

That is how it played out, though they didn’t get the seeding and the home game that they thought they deserved from officials running the WBIT. Instead, they watched as teams such as Florida (16-17) and Villanova (18-14) were seeded in the bracket and were granted home dates to open the tournament.

In the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool rankings, Florida (50) and Villanova (70) were both ranked higher than UTSA (71). But the Roadrunners finished with a far superior win-loss record.

Moreover, UTSA was ranked higher in the NET than Wyoming (80), and yet Wyoming (at 22-11) is seeded fourth in one of the WBIT bracket quadrants and is hosting tonight against Texas Tech.

In the bracket quadrant that includes UTSA, Colorado (20-12) was the top seed, followed by Minnesota (20-11) at No. 2, Missouri State (25-8) at No. 3 and Gonzaga (22-10) at No. 4. With Gonzaga seeded, it earned the right to host in the first round and drew UTSA, one of four unseeded teams in its quadrant and one of 16 in the 32-team bracket at large.

Fourth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston continued to question earlier this week how the Roadrunners did not get the right to host. She mentioned it Monday and again on Tuesday. At the same time, she said that the opportunity to play in a postseason event for the second straight year is “huge” for her program.

Last year, the Roadrunners played in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament and went 1-1 to finish the season 18-15. This year, they advanced themselves to the WBIT, with an opportunity to record a 30-win season if they can win four games. If they can win five, they’d win their second title this spring.

“Four years into this, we are two years in a row in the postseason,” Aston said. “I’ve used the word remarkable several times this year, and it truly is. We felt like it was a big step to go to the NIT last year, and we’ve taken another one. This is a very respectable tournament. I’ve talked to several coaches that were in this tournament last year and they said it was fantastic. It was competitive.”

Added the coach: “They felt really privileged to be in it. They were treated with respect. I’m excited for our kids to feel that.”

Sophomore forward Idara Udo said in interviews on campus Tuesday afternoon that the Roadrunners are just hungry to play again.

“Usually when teams get disappointed in their (conference) tournament and stuff like that, some people check out,” Udo said. “Some people have a shift in mentality. But I think one thing that I’m very proud of with this team is just us staying positive and keeping our heads up. Just coming in here hungry and ready to work.”

Should the Roadrunners win on Thursday night, they’d play again on Sunday. They’d play the winner between Colorado or Southeastern Louisiana (26-5). If Colorado wins at home Tuesday night, CU likely would be at home again in Boulder for the second round.

Records

UTSA 26-4
Gonzaga 22-10

WBIT today

First round

Upper left quadrant
North Carolina A&T at (1) Virginia Tech, 5 p.m.
Texas Tech at (4) Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Northern Illinois at (3) Florida, 6 p.m.
Hawaii at (2) UNLV, 8:30 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Lower left quadrant
UTSA at (4) Gonzaga, 8 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana at (1) Colorado, tonight at 8 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Oral Roberts at (3) Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.
(2) Minnesota at Toledo, 6 p.m., (Minnesota unable to host)
(Winners play Sunday)

Upper right quadrant
Davidson at (1) James Madison, 6 p.m.
Marquette at (2) Drake, 4 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Middle Tennessee at (3) Belmont, 6:30 p.m.
Northern Arizona at (2) Arizona, 8 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Lower right quadrant
Albany at (1) St. Joseph’s (Pa.), 6 p.m.
Boston College at (4) Villanova, 6 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Quinnipiac at (3) Seton Hall, 6 p.m.
Portland at (2) Stanford, 9 p.m.
(Winners play Sunday)

Notable

If Colorado wins tonight, it’s likely that Sunday’s second-round game will be held in Boulder. If UTSA and Southeastern Louisiana both win, then the second round could be played in San Antonio.

UTSA sophomore guard Aysia Proctor did not attend Tuesday’s open workout in San Antonio. A spokesman said after the workout that he wasn’t sure about her status to play against Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs struggled early in the season, losing eight of their first 14 games. Powered by forward Yvonne Ejim, they finished on a 16-1 run to the end of the regular season to tie for first in the West Coast Conference standings with Portland. Both teams had a 17-3 WCC record. Gonzaga, slotted into the WCC tournament semifinals, then lost 63-61 to Oregon State.

For the season, Ejim, a 6-1 forward from Canada who was named as the WCC Player of the Year, averaged 20.6 points ad 8.9 rebounds. Six-foot-three forward Maud Huijbens from The Netherlands is another strong post player for the Bulldogs. She averaged 9.3 points and 7.0 boards.

When teams try to collapse on the Gonzaga posts, guards Allie Turner, Claire O’Connor and Portugal native Ines Bettencourt take advantage with their perimeter shooting. Turner hits 45.7 percent from three, while O’Connor (43.4 percent) and Bettencourt (36.6) can also fill it up from behind the arc. Turner is a playmaker, averaging 13.4 points, while passing for 116 assists.

UTSA turns up the noise in preparation for a WBIT road test at Gonzaga

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

At times, the piped-in, ear-ringing noise in the Convocation Center Tuesday afternoon made it difficult to think, which was precisely the point that UTSA coach Karen Aston wanted to make.

Jordyn Jenkins. Top-seeded UTSA lost to ninth-seeded Rice 62-58 in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Monday, March 10, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins will lead the UTSA Roadrunners into the WBIT against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Aston’s Roadrunners are scheduled to play their first-round game in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament Thursday night on the homecourt of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, one of the noisiest arenas in college basketball.

So, in the last UTSA practice before the team travels to Spokane, Wash., she wanted her players to experience the adversity, speak up and communicate with one another.

They’ll need to do that to win at the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center, otherwise known as the “The Kennel.”

Standing on the court at the Convo Tuesday on an otherwise sleepy afternoon on campus, the noise in the old building almost sounded like a construction site. It isn’t the first time Aston has used sound effects to get her players’ attention.

“We have done that periodically throughout the year,” Aston said. “It’s interesting, but I told the group, it’s sort of like a full-circle moment. In our preparation for our first game of the year, we knew it was Education Day at Texas A&M.

“They had about 5,000 screaming kids. So it feels like a full-circle moment. Obviously we hope this is not our last game. We’re not planning on it being, but it kind of felt that way as this is how we started, and here we are again.”

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins said it was fun to run through a practice with the noise cranked up to high levels.

“You know, it was a little different,” she said. “We got to prepare for everything. We have to make sure we’re communicating on the court. So, that was just something to test us a little bit.”

The Roadrunners will be tested in many ways as they enter their second national tournament in the past two seasons. After winning the regular-season title in the American Athletic Conference at 17-1, they dropped their opener in the AAC tournament at Fort Worth.

A 62-58 loss to the ninth-seeded Rice Owls in the quarterfinals sent them home much earlier than they wanted. By the weekend, the pain continued as they were left out of the NCAA tournament. On top of that, they didn’t even get the reward of a first-round game in the WBIT, despite a program-best 26-4 record on the season.

“We did have a tough loss, obviously, in the tournament,” Jenkins said. “But, we had a little break and, you know, we think we can make a run in this tournament. It’s just about being together, staying together and realizing that not a lot of teams are playing in March right now. So, we need to be grateful and get this dub (victory).”

Asked what it takes to rebound from disappointment, Jenkins said, “honestly, just a little time.”

“You know, I always say time heals,” she said. “And it really does. I spent a little time at home back in Seattle. It was good to feel the rain and breathe the fresh air before I got back here and got back to work.”

Coincidentally, she returned to San Antonio, only to find out Sunday evening in a team gathering that the Roadrunners would be traveling back to Washington state for their first game. She said her family plans to make the trip. “They already booked their flights,” Jenkins said.

The Roadrunners and the Bulldogs have had similar experiences this season. UTSA has had a 10-game winning streak and had a 19-1 record in their last 20 games leading into the AAC tournament, only to lose their AAC tournament opener. Gonzaga had a 14-game winning streak and had a 16-1 record in their last 17 going into the West Coast tournament, losing its opener to Oregon State.

In addition, while Jenkins tops the Roadrunners in scoring and in several other categories, Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim leads the Bulldogs. Ejim, at 6-foot-1, averages 20.6 points and 8.9 rebounds. Not only is she a 52 percent shooter from the field, she also paces the Bulldogs with 38 steals and 31 blocked shots.

“They’re a post-oriented team, and they’re really good rebounders,” Jenkins said. “So, it’s going to be a fight in the paint.”

Records

UTSA 26-4
Gonzaga 22-10

Coming up

UTSA at Gonzaga, Thursday, 8 p.m., WBIT first round

UTSA’s Aston ‘grateful’ for the opportunity to play in the WBIT

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston on Monday acknowledged the disappointment of coming up short in the team’s quest to reach the NCAA tournament, but she said she feels “extremely blessed and pleased we’re still playing.”

Karen Aston. The UTSA women's basketball teams celebrates at the Convocation Center after winning the 2024-25 American Athletic Conference regular-season title on Saturday, March 1, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston Roadrunners will take a 26-4 record into a first-round WBIT game Thursday at Gonzaga. – File photo by Joe Alexander

The Roadrunners will play in the 32-team Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, opening on the road Thursday against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane, Wash. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Central time.

It’s the second straight season that the Roadrunners have reached a national postseason tournament after last year’s squad competed in the WNIT.

“The fact that we were able to take another step this year and elevate the tournament that we’re playing in is a huge accomplishment for this program, in a short period of time,” said Aston, who is in her fourth season at UTSA. “So, just thankful (for the opportunity). I could say a lot of things about disappointment (and) all of those things of not making the (NCAA) tournament. But at the end of the day you wake up and you’re grateful for what you have and to still be playing.”

Last year, UTSA played at home in the WNIT’s opening round and knocked off Northern Colorado for the first national tournament victory in school history. The Roadrunners lost in the second round in a road game at Wyoming.

UTSA bid for three home games in this year but was dispatched to play in the state of Washington against the Bulldogs, who were co-champions (at 22-10, 17-3) of the West Coast Conference. In the WBIT, teams were seeded 1-4 in each of four quadrants of the bracket. The Bulldogs drew a No. 4 seed. The Roadrunners (26-4, 17-1) were not seeded after winning the American Athletic Conference regular-season title outright.

Both Gonzaga and UTSA went 0-1 in the respective conference tournaments, with the Bulldogs losing to Oregon State in the WCC semifinals and the Roadrunners falling to Rice in the AAC quarterfinals.

Asked how she felt about being slotted into the WBIT bracket, Aston said, “I feel good about the team. You know, I don’t have any qualms about us going on the road. Obviously, like you said, we went 17-1. We have the ability to have some road toughness about us, or we wouldn’t have accomplished what we did. So I feel very confident in that. You know, very disappointed that we’re not hosting for our players, our staff, all the people that made our home environment really special, that we could go undefeated (at home).

“Not sure I have an answer for why we’re not hosting when you look at four or five teams that are that are that we have a better NET (ranking and) we won our league. But as I told our players, everything doesn’t always end up the way you expect it to or want it to. And you have to respond to that. And that’s a life lesson and a life skill that comes in pretty handy along your way.”

The Roadrunners have experienced two major disappointments over the past week — first, losing in the AAC tournament and then, second, gathering on Sunday to get confirmation that they would not, after all, be playing in the NCAA tournament. Even for a team as talented as the Roadrunners, it may be a challenge for them to re-set and prepare for the WBIT in the wake of all the emotion.

“You have to dig into your competitive juices a little bit,” Aston said. “And I think for our program, every single step that we take — I mean, we got a postseason win last year. This is a very, very competitive tournament. There are multiple teams that should have played in the NCAA that are in this tournament. So there’s a ton that we’re playing for. We’re graduating two players (in Jordyn Jenkins and Nine De Leon Negron). So, what are the rest of them learning in this experience of what it feels like to be continuing to play in March.

“Like I told them, some people are done two weeks ago and (are) on the beach somewhere. For us to understand what it feels like to continue to grind and prepare and take care of your bodies and stay in the gym, like, all of those are learning experiences for young players. And if you’ve got six or seven, or five or six, or whatever we had, who had never even experienced what a Selection Show was, then there’s a lot of learning still ahead for our group.”

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the start time of UTSA’s game at Gonzaga. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Central time on Thursday.

Guard play guides No. 1 Zags to a WCC tournament title

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College basketball nation knows all about Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, the big men who have led the Gonzaga Bulldogs to a No. 1 national ranking.

Timme led the Zags to the NCAA title game last year, and Holmgren is the heralded 7-foot freshman who could be among the top two or three picks in this year’s NBA draft.

The nation knows less about Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Andrew Nembhard.

Those three guards showed off in style Tuesday night, leading the Zags to an 82-69 victory over the No. 17 Saint Mary’s Gaels, in Las Vegas, for the West Coast Conference tournament title.

With the win, Gonzaga secured the WCC’s automatic bid and all but locked up a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Saint Mary’s likely will make the 68-team field as an at-large team, as well.

The Gaels, playing at home in Moraga, Calif., on Feb. 27, beat the Zags by 10 points and looked good in doing it. On Tuesday night in the WCC finals, Strawther, Bolton and Nembhard exacted revenge.

Running the offense and shooting with authority, Nembhard had 19 points and passed for seven assists. Bolton had 18 points and Strawther 16. Combined, the three hit eight of 13 three-point shots.

Quite a show by a backcourt that will need to play at this level in March if the Zags hope to make it back to the Final Four.

NCAA automatic bids

From Tuesday’s title games
Gonzaga — West Coast Conference
x-Jacksonville State — Atlantic Sun
Bryant — Northeast Conference
Delaware — Colonial Athletic Association
Wright State — Horizon League
South Dakota State — Summit League

Through Monday’s games
Chattanooga — Southern Conference
Georgia State — Sun Belt
Longwood — Big South
Loyola-Chicago — Missouri Valley
Murray State — Ohio Valley

x-The Bellarmine Knights beat Jacksonville 77-72 for the Atlantic Sun title Tuesday night but will not get the conference’s automatic bid. Bellarmine, located in Louisville, Ky., is in the second of a four-year transitional period from Division II to Division I that prohibits the Knights from competing in the “Big Dance,” per NCAA rules. As the regular-season champion, Jacksonville State (Ala.) was awarded with A-Sun’s automatic bid.

An emotional Dick Vitale thanks the fans for their support

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Dick Vitale, an iconic television voice of college basketball for the last four decades, on Tuesday night effusively thanked fans on the air for all of their well-wishes during his battle with cancer.

It was an emotional moment.

The 82-year-old Vitale fought back tears as he addressed his struggle with lymphoma, just before tipoff of ESPN’s nationally-televised game between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 UCLA in Las Vegas.

“It’s great being here, Dave,” Vitale told broadcast partner Dave O’Brien. “I didn’t want to cry. I can’t believe I’m sitting here.”

According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, Vitale made the trip to cover the game “a few days after having a fourth round of drugs pumped into his body” to fight the lymphoma.

He was diagnosed on Oct. 12.

Vitale initially was told he might need a surgery for what was believed to be cancer of the bile duct.

But he later was informed that he had the lymphoma, which was good news because it was something that could be treated with six months of chemotherapy, according to The Times.

A former coach at the high school, college and professional levels, Vitale has been broadcasting games since the late 1970s.

For years, he’s been one of the faces of college basketball, known for his gregarious personality and his eccentricities in describing the game on the air.

But in his remarks just before the Gonzaga-UCLA tipoff, Vitale expressed humility and gratitude for support from his family and friends and from the fans.

“I want to thank all you people,” he said.

Years ago, Vitale’s life was touched by cancer when his friend, former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano, was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma.

Through the adversity, the two became close, and Vitale attended when Valvano delivered his “don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” remarks at the ESPY Awards presentation in March of 1993.

Valvano passed away a month later.

In the aftermath of his friend’s passing, Vitale emerged as a crusader for cancer research.

The Tampa, Fla., resident has helped raise $44 million for pediatric cancer, which, he said during the broadcast, he wants to boost to $50 million this year.

“Yes, 6 months of chemo will be a challenge,” he said on his Twitter feed. “But with all the love support and (prayers) I am receiving, I am planning on winning the toughest battle I have ever faced.”

As Vitale watched from courtside, Gonzaga put on a show. The No 1-ranked Bulldogs defeated the No. 2 Bruins easily, 83-63. Guard Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points. Forward Drew Timmme had 18.

Freshman Chet Holmgren caught Vitale’s attention with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. On one play, the lithe 7-footer blocked a shot, dribbled behind his back on a fast break and dunked it two handed.

“He’s a Diaper Dandy deluxe,” Vitale said.

Vitale emerged as one of the stars of the night, as well. Fans chanted his name after the game as he offered remarks on-air to the ESPN viewers.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few told reporters that Vitale “just loves this game” and has done so much for it. “What an ambassador he is for college basketball,” Few said.

Streaking Gonzaga rises to No. 1 in Associated Press poll

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With 27 wins and only two losses, the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Monday moved up to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll.

Both Gonzaga and No. 2 Virginia climbed one spot after previously top-ranked Duke lost at home last Wednesday to North Carolina.

Gonzaga, from the West Coast Conference, has built the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games.

All of the victories in the streak have come by double-figure scoring margins.

Deep and talented, the Bulldogs beat Pepperdine by 28 points and BYU by 34 at home last week.

Their streak notwithstanding, the Bulldogs haven’t been tested by many of the NCAA powerhouses this season, which will bring their ranking into question in some quarters.

They won against Duke but lost back-to-back games against Tennessee and North Carolina in non-conference.

Since then, they have stormed to a 14-0 record in the WCC and have boosted their nation-leading scoring average to 90.7 points per game.

Virginia, by contrast, plays at a much slower pace and leads the nation defensively by holding opponents to 54.5 points.

After a 64-52 victory at Louisville, the Cavaliers improved to 8-2 against ranked opponents.

Virginia, third-ranked Duke and No. 5 North Carolina are all tied for first place in the ACC standings.

Despite the loss to the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils dropped only two spots to third in the poll on the heels of their 75-65 road victory Saturday at Syracuse.

Led by RJ Barrett and his 30 points and seven assists, Duke registered the win in its first game without injured star Zion Williamson.

Williamson, the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, was hurt in the first minute against the Tar Heels.

The American Athletic Conference-leading Houston Cougars, 26-1 on the season after a 71-59 home victory over South Florida, moved up one spot in the poll to eighth.

The Cougars have won 11 in a row, and they lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (36.2). The Cougars are fifth in points allowed (60.3).

AP Top 25
1. Gonzaga 27-2 West Coast
2. Virginia 24-2 ACC
3. Duke 24-3 ACC
4. Kentucky 23-4 SEC
5. North Carolina 22-5 ACC
6. Michigan State 23-5 Big Ten
7. Tennessee 24-3 SEC
8. Houston 26-1 American
9. Michigan 24-4 Big Ten
10. Marquette 23-4 Big East
11. Texas Tech 22-5 Big 12
12. Nevada 25-2 Mountain West
13. LSU 22-5 SEC
14. Purdue 22-7 Big Ten
15. Kansas 20-7 Big 12
16. Kansas State 21-6 Big 12
17. Maryland 21-7 ACC
18. Florida State 21-6 ACC
19. Wisconsin 19-8
20. Virginia Tech 21-6
21. Buffalo 24-3
22. Iowa 21-6
23. Cincinnati 23-4
24. Wofford 24-4
25. Washington 22-5

No. 3 Gonzaga wallops Texas A&M, 94-71

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Third-ranked Gonzaga allowed Texas A&M to stay in the game for the first 14 minutes and then rolled to an easy 94-71 victory Thursday night in front of a rowdy crowd at the McCarthey Center in Spokane, Washington.

In the first home game for Gonzaga against a team from the Southeastern Conference, the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Aggies by shooting 49.2 percent from the field while forcing 14 turnovers and blocking 10 shots.

Guard Zach Norvell scored 22 points to lead Gonzaga, a team that reached the NCAA title game in 2017 and the round of 16 last season. Forward Rui Hachimura produced 18 points and seven rebounds.

Savion Flagg scored 18 and T.J. Starks 16 for A&M.

Both teams entered the game with key players sidelined. Forward Killian Tillie is out for Gonzaga with a leg injury. Guard Admon Gilder did not make the trip for A&M because of unspecified health issues.

Gilder out indefinitely

A&M senior guard Admon Gilder will be out indefinitely due to health issues, according to a story posted on texags.com.

Gilder will remain in Texas for further evaluation while the Aggies travel to Washington and Vancouver in the coming week.

“I’m grateful for our medical team at Texas A&M. They are working diligently to get Admon back to the court as soon as possible, but his overall well-being is our priority,” head coach Billy Kennedy said.

Gilder said he is disappointed that he can’t be with the team this week.

“I understand that my health is important and that resolving this successfully will allow me to continue to pursue basketball for years to come,” he said. “I will overcome with God’s help, for I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”