LAS VEGAS – Haiden Palmer scored 18 points, Taelor Karr added 14 and Gonzaga earned its fifth straight NCAA tournament berth with a 62-50 win over San Diego in the West Coast Conference championship game Monday.
The tournament's top seed, Gonzaga (27-5) struggled offensively early and didn't shoot well from the perimeter until late. The Bulldogs made up for it with their defense and two big runs, one spanning halftime and another to pull away in the second half.
Sunny Greinacher added 12 points and Karr, the WCC player of the year, had six assists and five rebounds to help Gonzaga win the WCC title for the fourth time in five years.
Second-seeded San Diego (21-9) didn't make a 3-point shot in five attempts and had 20 turnovers to come up short in its bid to win a fourth WCC tournament.