Saint Mary’s will be BYU’s opponent in WCC semis after Gaels outlast Pepperdine in double OT

LAS VEGAS — BYU found out late Saturday night its West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal opponent — and it’s no surprise. 

This is what was surprising — No. 3 seed Saint Mary’s needed two overtimes to beat No. 6 Pepperdine 89-82 at Orleans Arena in the quarterfinals.

The Gaels will face the No. 2 seeded Cougars Monday (9:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2). 

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Saint Mary’s, the defending WCC Tournament champions, was led by guard Jordan Ford, who scored 42 points, including a huge 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining.

Pepperdine guard Colbey Ross poured in a career-high 43 points.

Saint Mary’s (25-7) and BYU (24-7) split their season series, with the Gaels winning 87-84 in overtime in Moraga on Jan. 9. On Feb. 1, the Cougars edged Saint Mary’s 81-79 in Provo on a 3-pointer by TJ Haws with 8.6 seconds remaining. BYU’s Yoeli Childs didn’t play in the first meeting due to a finger injury. Gael guard Tanner Krebs didn’t play in the second game due to an injury. 

In Saturday’s other quarterfinal, No. 5 San Francisco beat No. 4 Pacific 72-54. The Dons meet top-seeded Gonzaga Monday in the other semifinal before the BYU-Saint Mary’s game. 

The WCC Tournament championship game is set for Tuesday night.