SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Jalen Warley scored 19 points and Davis Fogle added 15 points and a last-second rebound as No. 8 Gonzaga edged San Francisco 68-66 on Saturday night for its 14th consecutive victory of the season and 34th win in a row over the Dons.
Tyon Grant-Foster added 15 points for Gonzaga (21-1, 9-0 West Coast Conference), which was without its two leading scorers for the third straight game. Forward Braden Huff (17.8 points per game) is out for several weeks with a knee injury. Forward Graham Ike (18 ppg) is expected back soon from an ankle injury.
Legend Smiley scored 18 points and Ryan Beasley 14 for San Francisco (13-9, 5-4), which has not beaten Gonzaga since 2012. The Dons' last win in Spokane was in 1989.
San Francisco sank 14 of 28 3-point attempts to nearly end its long victory drought at Gonzaga.
Junjie Wang had a basket and two free throws to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 60-57 with five minutes left. But the Dons went cold after that and Grant-Foster’s basket and a late 3-pointer with two minutes left lifted the Zags to a 67-57 lead.
Vukasin Masic hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Dons to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 68-66 with 30 seconds left.
The Dons played for the final shot and Wang launched a long 3-pointer that clanged off the rim. Fogle rebounded for Gonzaga and time expired.
The Zags opened the game with a 12-0 run. San Francisco missed its first eight field goal attempts and didn't score until Tyrone Riley's 3-pointer with 12:40 left in the first.
But the Dons hit four more 3-pointers in the first to close within 26-21. Gonzaga then went on a 10-4 run to build a 36-25 lead at halftime.
San Francisco made six 3-pointers early in the second half, including three by Smiley, to cut Gonzaga's lead to 53-47.
San Francisco: Plays at Santa Clara on Wednesday.
Gonzaga: Hosts rival Saint Mary's next Saturday.
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San Francisco forward Junjie Wang, center left, grabs a rebound next to teammate Guillermo Diaz Graham (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Gonzaga guard Braeden Smith (3) shoots while pressured by San Francisco forward Junjie Wang (35) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
MIAMI (AP) — Pablo Cuerta was watching batting practice before the U.S.-Venezuela championship game at the World Baseball Classic, when the realization hit him.
He couldn't lose.
There were thousands of Venezuelans at the game in Miami on Tuesday night. There were thousands of Americans at the game as well. And some — like Cuerta, a Venezuelan-American — got to basically cheer for both sides. His shirt: a Venezuela jersey. His hat: the Venezuelan team cap. And draped over his shoulders, tied across his chest: the U.S. flag.
“I was born in Venezuela, and this country gave me the opportunity to come, to be a citizen,” said Cuerta, who drove from his home near Orlando for the final days of the tournament in Miami. “I appreciate both countries, you know. One, I was born in Venezuela. And two, this one gave me everything I've got. So, I'm proud to have both countries.”
As they have throughout the tournament, Venezuelan fans showed up in a big way to see their team in Miami; all seven of Venezuela's games at the WBC were played inside the Miami Marlins' ballpark. From the outset, these unusual political times — Venezuela's deposed leader Nicolás Maduro is currently jailed in New York and facing drug trafficking charges, after American forces executed a military operation in Venezuela earlier this year to capture him — have not had much of an effect on the joy Venezuelans have for this event, even with it being played on U.S. soil.
When both flags were brought to home plate as part of the pregame ceremony, the building simply roared.
“Super emotional with Venezuela and being here for the championship game. This is beyond sport. It is well deserved," said Argenis Masiaf, a Miami resident who had the Venezuelan flag painted on his face for the game. “We have lived through many difficult things inside our country. This is the moment for Venezuela to accomplish something so special and memorable.”
Venezuela's players and coaches have tried to avoid all political talk. They've said in many ways that they're at the WBC to play baseball, and manager Omar López reiterated that sentiment before the final.
López did, however, acknowledge how much getting to the title game — and getting to play the U.S. — means to Venezuela, a baseball-mad South American country of about 32 million people. He said he expected “the whole country” to be watching.
“Tonight, everyone is going to be together,” López said. "The whole country is going to be paralyzed to watch the game, and together we are going to have better generations for our country, united with no color, political colors or ideology. We have people with double citizenship. This is the only way.
“We have sports. Baseball is one of the best tools or ways to educate a country. Discipline, dedication, determination. If you don’t believe in that, you should start believing. You have to believe in that. Thirty human beings today are going to unite Venezuela through a baseball game."
He was right.
In Caracas — Venezuela's capital and highest-populated city — the streets were empty Tuesday night. Thousands of people, many of them children, gathered at a public plaza to watch the game, many dancing and waving Venezuelan flags.
Even acting President Delcy Rodríguez weighed in ahead of the game.
“Tonight, all of Venezuela has an appointment with baseball,” she shared on social media. “For the first time in our history, we reached the World Classic final. To our guys, we say with our hearts: Let’s go Venezuela! The whole country is with you."
Josh Rojas, a student from Utah, was outside the stadium three hours before first pitch Tuesday, soaking up the atmosphere. He had a “V” for Venezuela painted on both sides of his face, proudly carrying a flag as well.
“Me and my family knew Venezuela would make a good run, so we came," Rojas said. "Man, it’s meant everything. I’m a Latino American, and it’s just making me more proud of my Latin heritage. It’s just awesome to see a whole country, a whole community come together to support this country through baseball.”
Jaci Douglas said she “hates” baseball. The medical student from Pennsylvania viewed Tuesday's game as something well beyond sport.
“My mother is Venezuelan. I have in-laws who are Venezuelans,” Douglas said. “They're all here tonight and they told me that if I miss this, I'd regret it. ... It's an event.”
Cuerta said he heard everyone in Venezuela — the country he left eight years ago — was watching.
"It’s going to be a lot of parties, everywhere," Cuerta said. “Every space, every restaurant, every street, everywhere. Everybody’s watching. When we're born, that's the first thing your parents do. Before they send you to school, they send you to the field. That's what they mean when they say it's in our blood.”
Associated Press Reporter Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela contributed.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
United States fans watch batting practice before the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against Venezuela, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Venezuela team poses for photos on the field before the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Venezuela fans pose for photos before the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Venezuela fans gather before the championship game of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
