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Las Vegas • They say they like each other and respect each other too much to be called rivals just yet, but when BYU and Gonzaga get together on the basketball floor, instant classics almost always follow.
And the Zags almost always win — especially in West Coast Conference tournament games.
Monday's late night special — a semifinal game pitting NCAA Tournament regulars fighting for their postseason lives — was more of the same at Orleans Arena, Gonzaga's home away from home, as the Zags held off the Cougars 88-84 in front of a sellout crowd of 8,362.
"They beat us on the boards [40-33] and beat us to some loose balls, and that's probably the difference in the game," said BYU coach Dave Rose.
The Cougars' bugaboo all season has been lack of consistency and too little production inside when 3-point shots are not falling with regularity, and that flaw reared its ugly head again as BYU fell to 0-4 against GU in tournament games. Still on the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Zags improved to 25-7 and will tangle with Saint Mary's on Tuesday in the conference final.
BYU (23-10) quite likely is headed to the NIT for the second time in four years, although Zags coach Mark Few made a case that all three of the league's top teams pass the "eye test" and belong in the Big Dance. Rose declined an opportunity to make BYU's case when given the chance, saying his message to the disconsolate Cougars in the locker room after was "that I am proud to be their coach, and I hope we can still play together again. We will see what happens."
Regardless of their futures, the Cougars and Zags will have another epic clash to remember, a game in which Gonzaga got out to an early double-digit lead and BYU clawed its way back to a halftime tie, 47-47. Neither team led by more than seven in a gritty, foul-plagued second half.
"As a player you couldn't ask for a better atmosphere to play in," said BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. "Just the energy and the feel was great, but unfortunately we didn't come out on top. Those atmospheres are special. You will always remember those. It is rare to play in an atmosphere like that, so you cherish it."
Said GU's Kyle Wiltjer, who led all scorers with 29 points on 10 of 18 shooting: "Both teams were fighting for our lives."
It showed.
The contest was physical from the onset, and Gonzaga got into the bonus with more than 13 minutes left in the second half and paraded to the free-throw line, with much success.
The Cougars actually made three more field goals - 31 to 28 - but gave up 12 3-pointers and saw the Zags go 20 of 25 from the stripe. BYU was 12 of 15 from the line.
"There is that desperation that both teams are playing so hard," Wiltjer said. "Put it all on the line. We were fortunate to make the right plays when we needed to."
Along with getting out-rebounded, BYU lost because it missed an inordinate number of easy, inside shots, even though backup center Ryan Edwards was sidelined with a knee injury. The Cougars missed point-blank shots on four straight possessions in the first half before ending the half on a 12-3 run to get back in the game.
"We missed some bunnies where there was absolutely nobody [there]," Collinsworth said.
Few said a big key for Gonzaga was that Damontas Sabonis (18 points, 14 rebounds) did not pick up a single foul in the first half so he was able to guard Collinsworth in the second half.
"Good adjustment on their part," Collinsworth said. "I just tried to stay aggressive, get to the rim, and find shooters."
He found Chase Fischer for a 3-pointer, the senior's third on 11 attempts, with 31 ticks left that cut the deficit to 85-82.
But after Kyle Dranginis made one of two free throws, all the Cougars could get with eight seconds left was an off-balance 3-point try by Collinsworth - a 26 percent 3-point shooter - that didn't come close.
"Gonzaga is a championship team, and to beat a championship team you have to take advantage of your opportunities," Rose said.
The Cougars didn't.
Again.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Storylines
• Kyle Wiltjer scores 29 points and Gonzaga improves to 4-0 in WCC tournament games against BYU.
• Freshman Nick Emery scores 27 for BYU, but the Cougars shoot just 44 percent and fall to 23-10.
• BYU has a 3-point lead early in the second half, but Gonzaga leads for more than 36 minutes of the 40-minute game.