Spokane, Wash. ? Adam Morrison listened to what was said in Gonzaga’s locker room at halftime, then went out and did it.

Morrison scored the first six points of the second half, and No. 17 Gonzaga wiped out a 12-point deficit on the way to a 68-63 victory over Saint Mary’s on Thursday night.

The Gaels’ 38-26 halftime lead didn’t last and neither did the way both teams were shooting. Gonzaga held Saint Mary’s to two field goals over the final 12 minutes and avenged an earlier loss to the Gaels.

“Don’t hang your heads,” Morrison recounted when asked what was said at halftime. “We’re playing pretty good ‘D.’ We need to rebound and play smarter.”

Morrison and point guard Derek Raivio each scored 19 points for the Bulldogs (16-4, 6-2 West Coast Conference), who were 15-for-25 from the field in the second half while holding the Gaels (19-6, 6-2) to 7-for-29 shooting over the final 20 minutes.

“I hope we understand that defense is the key to having a great year,” said Ronny Turiaf, who had 14 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga.

No. 2 North Carolina 95, N.C. State 71

Chapel Hill, N.C. — Freshman Marvin Williams had a season-high 20 points, Rashad McCants scored 18, and Sean May had another double-double to lead North Carolina. Raymond Felton added 10 assists for the Tar Heels (18-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won 18 of their past 19 games. May finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Julius Hodge had 18 points for the Wolfpack (13-8, 3-5).

No. 13 Washington 99, Southern California 69

Seattle — Tre Simmons scored a career-high 29 points, and Jamaal Williams added 21 to lead the Huskies (18-3, 8-2 Pac-10). Simmons was 11-of-21 from the field — including six three-pointers — and had six rebounds and three assists. Williams was 9-of-10 from the field, and Will Conroy posted his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Lodrick Stewart had 13 points for the Trojans (9-12, 2-8), who have lost three straight.

No. 14 Arizona 97, California 76

Tucson, Ariz. — Channing Frye had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (18-4, 8-2 Pac-10), who won for the 15th time in 17 games by bouncing back from the home loss to Washington State, which had lost 38 in a row to Arizona. Richard Midgley had 18 points and six rebounds for the Golden Bears (11-9, 4-6), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.