MORAGA, Calif. -- No. 20 Saint Mary's was destined to finish in second place in the West Coast Conference no matter what happened Saturday. However, the Gaels accomplished some things with their 70-56 victory over Santa Clara at McKeon Pavilion in the final regular-season game for both teams.

The Gaels assured themselves of having the best winning percentage in school history. Saint Mary's (26-3) cannot lose any more than two more games this season, meaning they will finish with a higher winning percentage than the 1988-89 Gaels, who wound up 25-5 under coach Lynn Nance.

Technically, Saint Mary's had a better record in 1917-18, when it went 15-0.

"We didn't talk about it much," said Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett, who paused, then added. "Rahon did."

It was important to senior Joe Rahon, who played his final home game. He had only seven points with six assists and no turnovers Saturday, but the best thing he did was return to the game two minutes after limping off the court with a bruised knee.

He should be fine for the WCC tournament, which starts Friday, although the Gaels, with Saturday's victory and a No. 16 RPI ranking, seem to be safely into the NCAA tournament even if they lose in the conference tournament.

"You can never be sure," said Emmett Naar, who experienced the disappointment last season when the Gaels failed to get an NCAA tournament berth despite having a 27-5 record when the NCAA field was announced. "We're feeling pretty good, but the best way to get in is to win the WCC tournament."

With BYU's stunning upset of Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, the WCC tournament takes on a different look.

"It tells me BYU has some confidence," Bennett said.

The Gaels, who finished 16-2 in conference play, have some confidence too.

Jock Landale scored 17 points and Naar and Calvin Hermanson had 13 points apiece for the Gaels, who took control in the first half.

Saint Mary's led 41-29 at halftime partly because it shot 65 percent from the floor, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, in the first 20 minutes. But the fact that Saint Mary's attempted 17 free throws to none for the Broncos (16-15, 10-8) in the first half had something to do with it too.

"The foul disparity on the first half was overwhelming," Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek said. "We can evaluate it from our biased perspective, but in all honesty they have frontcourt guys that do draw fouls."

Naar made all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, and all four came during an 18-4 run that put Saint Mary's ahead 20-8 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

The Broncos were led by Jared Brownridge and Matt Hauser, who scored 15 points, but could not get Santa Clara back in the game in the second half.

The Gaels extended a 12-point halftime lead to 20 points with 7:17 to go and cruised home. The Gaels shot 55.6 percent from the field for the game, including 7 of 14 on 3-pointers. They also outrebounded the Broncos 33-21.

"I thought our guys really competed," Sendek said. "I was very pleased with their effort. But we didn't make enough plays or get enough stops to beat an outstanding team"

The one concern for the Broncos was the sprained ankle suffered by starting guard KJ Feagin in the closing minutes, It was unclear after the game whether he would be able to play in the conference tournament.

NOTES: The WCC tournament begins Friday in Las Vegas, and Santa Clara and Saint Mary's receive first-round byes into Saturday's quarterfinals. Santa Clara faces San Francisco in its quarterfinal game, and Saint Mary's plays the winner of Friday's game between San Diego and Portland. ...Saint Mary's beat Santa Clara 72-59 in their first meeting this season. ... The Gaels began the day ranked second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 56.1 points per game. ... The last time Santa Clara finished higher than fourth in the WCC was 2007, when the Broncos were second in Dick Davey's final season as coach. home court.