Gonzaga beats Oregon State to advance to WCC championship game

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are making their annual trek to the WCC championship game after defeating the Oregon State Beavers, 65-56, on Monday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

It is Gonzaga's NCAA record 29th straight appearance in the WCC Tournament championship game, a streak that will come to an end in 2027 when the program moves into the new-look Pac-12.

Gonzaga got welcome news before the game that Jalen Warley - who missed the team's last two games with a quad contusion - was going to suit up, and he started and gave the Zags his trademark versatility and energy on both ends of the floor.

But the star of the game was big man Graham Ike, who was Gonzaga's only scorer in double figures - dropping 24 points with 11 rebounds on 10-17 shooting.

The Zags will play the winner of the WCC's other semifinal matchup, between (3)Santa Clara and (2)Saint Mary's, which tips off at 8:30 PM PT on Monday night on ESPN2.

Below are three key takeaways from Gonzaga's semifinal win on Monday night:

1. Suffocating perimeter defense

Back in early February in Corvallis, Oregon State got off to a blistering start from beyond the arc against Gonzaga - drilling their first five threes and finishing 10-18 (55.6%) on the night. While the Zags still picked up a comfortable 20-point win, it was a close game for the first 30 minutes or so, in large part due to OSU's hot shooting.

That was not the case on Monday, with the Beavers unable to generate virtually any good looks from three. They finished the first half a paltry 2-13 from the perimeter, a big reason they scored just 24 points in the first 20 minutes. Ultimately, the Beavers finished 6-25 (24%) from deep.

The return of Warley after his two-game absence certainly played a part in Gonzaga's improved defensive effort, but it was also strong performances from Emmanuel Innocenti, Tyon Grant-Foster, and point guards Mario Saint-Supery and Braeden Smith that frustrated OSU's perimeter players on Monday.

The Zags will need to keep that defensive energy on Tuesday in order to secure one final WCC championship.

2. Graham Ike delivered again

As expected, Ike was the focal point of Gonzaga's offense on Monday night - and even though Oregon State knew that would be the case, there just wasn't much they could do to stop him.

Ike dropped 24 points with 11 rebounds, while shooting 10-17 from the field. While he didn't quite match his performance in Corvallis last month - when he had a career-high 35 - he was a wrecking ball all night long at the Orleans, consistently hitting clutch shots when the Zags needed a bucket.

Warley being back takes some of the pressure off Ike defensively, but as long as Braden Huff remains on the sideline, the 6'9 big man will continue to shoulder a huge scoring responsibility for Gonzaga - including on Tuesday night in the championship game.

3. Three point struggles continue

Gonzaga was efficient inside the arc on Monday night, and they even shot an excellent 12-13 from the free throw line, but it was another tough performance from beyond the arc.

The Zags shot just 3-14 from the three-point line - not getting overly reliant on the perimeter shot, but also failing to capitalize when open looks showed up.

Davis Fogle knocked down a momentum-swinging three late in the second half, and Braeden Smith and Adam Miller each hit one early in the contest, but otherwise it was a lackluster performance from the guards. Mario Saint-Supery shot 0-4, Emmanuel Innocenti was 0-2, and Tyon Grant-Foster was 0-1.

Gonzaga has won 30 games this year without needing the three-ball, but it's hard to imagine a deep run in March without more consistency from beyond the arc - especially if Huff remains out.

Gonzaga will play on Tuesday at 6:00 PM PT on ESPN against the winner of Saint Mary's and Santa Clara, which tips off Monday night at 8:30 PM PT on ESPN2.