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Las Vegas

Judging by the way BYU and Gonzaga battled from start to finish Monday night, this game was worthy of a different day of the week, a bigger stage and higher stakes.

A semifinal meeting in the West Coast Conference tournament really was all that these teams deserved, though. And only one of them took advantage of the opportunity. Gonzaga's 88-84 victory sent the Bulldogs into Tuesday's championship game vs. No. 1 seed Saint Mary's for the league's NCAA Tournament bid.

And while Gonzaga coach Mark Few said, "The eye test tells you BYU's a tournament team," the reality is the Cougars are destined for the NIT, at best.

The Cougars did all they could to alter the outcome of the previous two years, when Gonzaga pulled away from them in WCC tournament championship games. The teams moved up their annual contest by one day to the semifinals, and the result was a tense, entertaining game that more closely resembled their usual regular-season contests.

"Both teams were fighting for our lives," said Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer, who scored 29 points.

By rallying in the first half, BYU gave itself a great chance to win. But in the last five-plus minutes, the Cougars faded just enough to make them lament a game that got away.

In the previous two years, BYU still received NCAA Tournament bids after losing to Gonzaga. That's not going to happen this time. The Bulldogs themselves are a bubble team, at best. So this could have been considered the Las Vegas version of a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, only in a much better environment. With the revved-up crowd (8,362) divided between the respectful rivals, "You couldn't ask for a better atmosphere," said BYU's Kyle Collinsworth.

When the game ended, the conference's Player of the Year walked off the court with his heads locked behind his head. Collinsworth managed to slap hands with a school administrator, then resumed his pose. BYU coach Dave Rose later spoke of "a lot of emotion in that locker room, from a lot of guys."

Arriving for the winners' news conference, Few heard the moderator note Gonzaga's 19th consecutive appearance in the title game, and was compelled to interrupt: "That's unbelievable, you know what I mean?"

Besides endorsing BYU, Few is campaigning for an NCAA bid, even if the Bulldogs (25-7) lose Tuesday. "We haven't had a bad game all year," he said. "I don't know how many teams in America can say that."

BYU can't, because of losses to the likes of Portland and Pacific. That's why the Cougars (23-10) knew they had to win this tournament. And they played like it. With a big lift from freshman guard Nick Emery's 27 points and Collinsworth's 16 rebounds and 11 assists, the No. 3-seeded Cougars made a desperate attempt to get into the championship game. Yet in spite of BYU's efforts, too many rebounds and loose balls ended up in the Bulldogs' hands.

"To beat a championship team, you have to take advantage of your opportunities," Rose said.

Emery could have tied the game with 5:27 left, but he missed a free throw. Wiltjer then hit a 3-pointer, typifying Gonzaga's responses to BYU's threats all night.

Collinsworth had experienced some extreme results against Gonzaga in those two title games. In 2014, BYU already was losing badly when he exited early in the second half with a knee injury, ending his season in a 75-64 defeat. Last March, his career-high 28 points could not match Gonzaga's balance, as the Bulldogs took a 91-75 win.

In this episode, an adventurous first half ended in a 47-47 tie, which represented a victory for BYU. The Cougars were rattled early in the game as Gonzaga built a 10-point lead. A repeat of the Bulldogs' double-figures margins in the teams' last two WCC meetings seemed inevitable, but BYU rallied.

Collinsworth was a steadying influence, while Emery and Zac Seljaas provided enough outside shooting to match Gonzaga's hot streak. Corbin Kaufusi's dunk of a rebound at the buzzer pulled the Cougars even at the half.

So it could be said that the Cougars and Bulldogs were practically even for five halves of basketball this season. BYU won by one point in Spokane in January; Gonzaga took a three-point victory Feb. 27 in Provo.

Monday's second half was the tiebreaker, a defining moment for each team's season. Ultimately, the Bulldogs separated themselves just enough to advance.

Emery's 3-pointer extended BYU's momentum to begin the half, but Gonzaga responded with a 9-0 run. Again, the Cougars battled back. BYU prevented the Bulldogs from pulling away as they did in the previous two years. In the end, though, the Cougars walked away from Orleans Arena feeling more frustrated than ever.

Twitter: @tribkurt