Throughout the West Coast Conference basketball tournament, it has taken a while for new teams to get used to the neutral court against teams that have already played on it.
Oregon State went scoreless in the first six and a half minutes in their first game in the quarterfinals. San Francisco nearly doubled the points made in the second half vs the first half, struggling to find their footing early on versus Portland.
One-seeded Gonzaga did not have this problem in the semifinals against Oregon State.
On Monday, March 9 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Bulldogs found their footing two minutes into the half, and continued this through the rest of the game, besting the Beavers 65-56 and advancing to the WCC championship game.
“We were up against a brutal force tonight,” former Beaver Head Coach Wayne Tinkle said in the post-game conference. “Ton of praise to them for their physicality defensively.”
Tinkle will not be reprising his role at Oregon State next year, but chose to close out the season with the Beavers throughout the post-season. With the loss, the game marked his last game for the program after 12 years.
Early in the first half, Mario Saint-Supery continued to make waves for the Bulldogs, creating opportunities with an assist in the next minute after his opening points.
“I was really proud of how our guys came out,” Bulldog Head Coach Mark Few said. “These games are hard when you know we’re going to continue to play [in March Madness] but you’re playing a team that doesn’t have that opportunity. You’re facing a sense of desperation.”
Gonzaga is ranked No. 12 in the nation by the most recent Associated Press ranking.
Despite a strong offensive performance from Beaver junior Josiah Lake II and senior Jorge Diaz-Graham, the Bulldogs continued to shut down the Beavers, force turnovers and capitalize on the extra possessions.
According to Few, the game would end up to be one of the Bulldog’s “best defensive efforts of the year.”
Few credits his team’s efforts to the respect his players and the coaching staff have for Tinkle. The two coaches shared a long embrace after the match.
With 10 minutes left in the half, Gonzaga went on a 11-point scoring run to bring the score out of the Beaver’s reach at 21-6.
The Beavers could not find the basket in the first half, shooting 29% from the field and 21% from beyond the arch. Turnovers continued to haunt the team, with nine in the first half and 12 on the game.
Gonzaga dominated on fast break plays and points from the paint. 16 of the Bulldog’s 65 points were scored on the fast break, and 19 were converted after turnovers from the Beavers. The Beavers scored zero points on the fast break.
The game ended 65-56. The Beavers fought hard, but could not bridge the scoring-runs Gonzaga recorded.
WCC Player of the Year Graham Ike shone for Gonzaga with a double-double on the night with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, Ike discussed what it would mean for the team to win it’s 22nd WCC tournament trophy.
“It would mean a lot for this team, for our senior group, and just for the legacy of Gonzaga in the WCC,” Ike said.
The 2025-26 season will be the last year in the WCC for Gonzaga after 47 years of being in the conference. They will move with Oregon State to the revamped Pac-12 conference after their season concludes.
With the win tonight, Gonzaga makes NCAA history with the most consecutive conference championship appearances at 29. They will play against the Santa Clara Broncos on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 pm.
