Mills-led Gaels topple Portland in WCC semis

LAS VEGAS ) " Patty Mills scored 12 points in his rough return from a five-week absence with a broken hand, but Saint Mary's rallied around its star guard for a 71-61 victory over Portland on Sunday night.

The Gaels advanced to meet Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament final.

Diamon Simpson had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Omar Samhan added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the second-seeded Gaels (25-5), who realize their NCAA tournament hopes could come down to Monday's meeting with the top-seeded Zags, who routed Santa Clara in the other semifinal.

Mills, the Gaels' Australian sophomore point guard, hadn't played since breaking two bones in his hand Jan. 29. The rust was obvious in his 3-for-12 shooting and three turnovers, but his playmaking noticeably picked up in a turnover-free second half as Saint Mary's got rolling in the final minutes of its sixth consecutive victory.

Both clubs shot poorly in a tentative first half that ended 24-24, and neither team led by more than five points in a back-and-forth second half until Saint Mary's made an 11-2 run. The string included seven points from Carlin Hughes, Mills' fellow Aussie, who put the Gaels up 62-51 with a 3-pointer followed by a layup with 2:04 left.

Simpson added a breakaway dunk with 1:31 left to seal it. Wayne Hunter scored 13 points for the Gaels, and Hughes had 12.

Nik Raivio had 15 points and nine rebounds, and T.J. Campbell added 12 points for the Pilots (19-11), who routed Pepperdine on Saturday night to reach the semifinals. The young Pilots stayed with Saint Mary's throughout, but haven't won two games in the conference tournament since 1996.

The Gaels were 18-1 with a 15-game winning streak when Mills, their leading scorer and playmaker, was injured during a game at Gonzaga. Saint Mary's lost that game and three of its next four, including an 18-point loss at Portland.

After snapping the skid with a home win over the Pilots on Feb. 14, Saint Mary's ran the table in its remaining conference games to keep alive its hopes of the first back-to-back NCAA tournament berths in school history.

Mills underwent surgery on his hand, but always hoped to get back for the chance to earn an automatic NCAA berth. The Australian Olympian made the all-league first team despite playing in just six WCC games.

He returned to practice with Saint Mary's on Monday, and the school dramatically announced his return Friday after scheduling an additional game against Eastern Washington next week to further prove Mills' fitness to the NCAA selection committee.

Mills started a bit tentatively when he entered the game as a substitute early in the first half. He finished the first half with 2-of-7 shooting, three turnovers, an airballed free throw and two offensive fouls.

But Mills also demonstrated his quickness midway through the first half when he split two defenders with a dribble, sliced into the lane and got called for a questionable charge.

Portland snapped a string of 10 consecutive non-winning seasons this year with coach Eric Reveno's eclectic roster featuring players from Germany, Japan and Canada complementing Raivio, the WCC's fourth-leading scorer. Saint Mary's barely slipped past the Pilots for the No. 3 seed with its late-season win streak.

Simpson became the Gaels' career leader in steals during the game, adding to his school records in rebounds and blocks.