WCC ROUNDUP : Brown Sends Gonzaga to League Title

Jeff Brown scored 24 points Saturday to lead Gonzaga to a 75-71 victory at Portland that clinched the West Coast Conference title for the Bulldogs.

Matt Houle, who had 15 first-half points, led Portland with 18. Jerry Allen and Ray Ross added 13 apiece for the Pilots.

Jerry Allen’s three-pointer with 1:44 to play in the first half gave Portland (12-15, 5-7) its biggest lead, 39-22. The Pilots led, 60-50, midway through the second half.

An 11-3 run in the next 3:22 pulled Gonzaga (19-5, 11-1) to within 63-61. Brown’s layup with 3:40 tied the game, 69-69.

John Rillie’s three-point field goal with 36 seconds left put Gonzaga ahead for good, 72-71.

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Pepperdine 76, San Diego 57--It was the final home game for Pepperdine seniors Dana Jones and Damin Lopez and both went out in a big way.

Lopez scored a season-high 27 points and Jones broke the school’s all-time record for rebounds as the Waves won before 1,823 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Jones’ 11 rebounds gave him 975 for his career, three more than former player Levy Middlebrooks.

The victory moved Pepperdine (14-10, 6-6) into no worse than a tie for third in the conference with San Diego (14-9, 6-6).