LAS VEGAS (AP) — Graham Ike had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 12 Gonzaga to a 65-56 victory over Oregon State on Monday night and put the Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game for the 29th straight time.
Gonzaga (29-3) will play No. 21 Saint Mary’s or Santa Clara in the title game. Those teams met later Monday night. It will be the Zags’ last WCC championship before heading to the Pac-12 Conference next season.
Oregon State’s seasons ends at 17-16.
Ike, the WCC player of the year, made 10 of 17 shots for his 14th double-double this season and 45th of his career. He was the only Gonzaga player to score in double figures.
Jorge Diaz Graham led the Beavers with 15 points and Noah Amenhauser scored 11.
SANTA CLARA 76, NO. 21 SAINT MARY’S 71
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sash Gavalyugov scored 23 points including a back-breaking 3-pointer to lead Santa Clara to a victory over Saint Mary’s in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament to take a big step toward making the Big Dance.
The Broncos (26-7) will play No. 12 Gonzaga (29-3) in the championship game on Tuesday night. The winner receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
While the Bulldogs are safely in the tournament, Santa Clara was considered on the bubble. The Broncos entered this game No. 42 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and No. 37 in Kenpom.
Saint Mary’s (27-5) could take a hit in the tournament seeding, but the Gaels figure to get into the field of 68. They were No. 20 in the NET and No. 22 in KenPom.
This is the first time since 2021 that the WCC final hasn’t been between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.
Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek claimed his 600th career victory, a somewhat mild upset over the Gaels, who were favored by 5 1/2 points at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Elijah Mahi added 19 points for the Broncos and Allen Graves finished with 10.
Paulius Murauskas scored 26 points to lead Saint Mary’s, Mikey Lewis had 23 and Andrew McKeever totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds.