Robert Sacre has been Gonzaga's seven-foot project.

Sacre is currently averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots.

"He came in very raw (but) he's always been a freak athlete with size," teammate Steven Gray said.

"He's a plow horse that you can just count on," Few said. "As loyal a guy as you'll ever find.

"I mean, he's just going to work, and he's going to do it with a great attitude and a contagious enthusiasm."

Sacre, a reserve on the Canadian national basketball team last summer at the World Championships in Turkey, was born and raised in Louisiana. He moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia, after his parents split up when he was in grade school.

Saint Mary's won 11 straight games with relative ease between their losses to San Diego State and Vanderbilt.

"We hadn't had a close game in a month," Bennett said. "We've had seven or eight games we were supposed to win. That puts a lot of pressure on us."

This year's team is much different than the one that went to the Sweet 16 in 2010.

"We're different. We're not as big on the boards, but we're harder to guard. We're able to bring more pressure defensively."

Gonzaga has won 10 consecutive West Coast Conference titles, but that streak may be in jeopardy this season.

Only one other Division I school in history has claimed more consecutive league crowns: UCLA won 13 Pac-10 championships in a row from 1967-79.

“It never gets any easier,” coach Mark Few said. “It’s always tough.”

Saturday’s 96-91 overtime loss at San Francisco was the second WCC defeat for the Zags, who also fell to Santa Clara earlier in the week.

Few’s team is now 13-7 overall and 3-2 in league play.

Santa Clara defeated Gonzaga 85-71 on Thursday night, ending the nine-game winning streak of the Bulldogs.

Kevin Foster scored a career-high 36 points, including 11 straight during a key stretch late in the second half.

Santa Clara hadn't defeated Gonzaga in three years.