Gonzaga secures final WCC Tournament championship with gritty win over Santa Clara

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few won his 21st - and final - WCC Tournament on Tuesday night, defeating the No. 3 seed Santa Clara Broncos, 79-68, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

It was an auspicious start for Gonzaga, who went down 9-1 in the first few minutes before a three from Mario Saint-Supery pulled them out of the early funk. The Zags went into the halftime locker room down 33-29, still searching for their offense after the Broncos limited Ike to just two shot attempts.

The offense came alive in the second half, however, while Gonzaga's tough defense persisted for all 40 minutes, holding a Santa Clara team that averages 83.5 points per game to just 68 on the night.

With the win Gonzaga officially locks up the automatic bid out of the WCC, and further strengthens their resume as a potential No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Selection Sunday less than one week away.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Gonzaga's final game as members of the West Coast Conference:

1. Graham Ike found a way

Santa Clara did everything they could to take Ike out of this game. And for the first 20 minutes, it really worked. Ike had just four points at halftime, shooting 2-2 from the field - with his two makes each rim rattling dunks.

The Zags did a better job of getting Ike looks in the second half, and the big man kept his perfect night going. He finished the game a perfect 7-7, with four dunks, two tip-ins, and one made three which tied the game at 47 midway through the second half.

A helpside rejection of big man Bukky Oboye sent the crowd into a frenzy a few minutes later, and the momentum rarely left Gonzaga's side for the rest of the game.

Ultimately, the WCC Player of the Year finished with 15 points and four rebounds, and while he wasn't Gonzaga's leading scorer - for the first time in 10 games - his presence down low on both ends of the floor was vital to the team's championship victory.

2. Plus perimeter shooting

It's been well documented that Gonzaga is not having a good year from the three point line. But Tuesday night showed how dangerous this team can be when they are firing on all cylinders - and it was almost entirely thanks to Mario Saint-Supery.

The freshman guard was scorching hot for gonzaga all night long, scoring the team's first field goal of the game and consistently putting pressure on Santa Clara's backcourt with his perimeter scoring.

The 6'3 point guard finished 6-12 from three, dropping a team-high 21 points in a desperately needed performance for this Gonzaga offense that has been far too reliant on Ike over the last month or so.

Saint-Supery wasn't the only strong perimeter scorer on Tuesday, however,as the team shot an outstanding 10-25 from three on the night. Tyon Grant-Foster (2-3), and Davis Fogle (1-3), got in on the action as well, as Gonzaga hit 10+ threes for just the third time in the year 2026.

Gonzaga's chance of making a deep run in March hinges heavily on the team's ability to make opponents pay for packing the paint on Ike - and that largely stems from hitting those open threes.

3. Kennel South brought it

Santa Clara may have been able to fight through adversity against Saint Mary's on Monday night, but once the ball stopped bouncing their way on Tuesday they had a much harder time. That's because the Orleans Arena fully lived up to the 'Kennel South' moniker, with thunderous crowd noise helping Gonzaga build - and maintain - momentum in the second half.

The Broncos were always going to have a hard time running with the Zags after playing the late game Monday night, and having to also battle a road crowd environment only added to that challenge.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga gave Zag nation and the Orleans Arena a proper send off, taking home one final WCC Tournament championship before the move to the Pac-12 next season. While the location of the Pac-12 Tournament remains to be determined, it's widely expected to be at a different Las Vegas arena - with MGM Garden Grand and Michelob ULTRA Arena the likely candidates.

Gonzaga will await word on their next opponent on Selection Sunday, which is scheduled for 3:00 PM PT on Sunday, March 15.