Gaels Were Behind From The Start

If you put any stock in omens, you knew Saint Mary's was in trouble even before the opening tip of Monday's West Coast Conference tournament championship game. The Gaels were down even before the ball went up. One of them dunked during pregame warm-ups, a violation of NCAA rules. A technical foul was called. So as nine other players clustered around the tipoff circle, Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin repaired to the free-throw line. He made the first and missed the second. With 20:00 showing on the clock, the Gaels trailed 1-0. Which, in the final analysis, was as good as it got for Saint Mary's.