SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Graham Ike scored 30 points in his first game back from injury and No. 6 Gonzaga beat rival Saint Mary’s 73-65 on Saturday night in their final West Coast Conference meeting at McCarthey Athletic Center.
Jalen Warley had 10 points and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs (22-1, 10-0) won their 15th straight game and improved to 11-0 at home. Emmanuel Innocenti also scored 10, all during a three-minute stretch in the second half.
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Joshua Dent led the Gaels (19-4, 8-2) with 16 points. Paulius Murauskas scored 15 and Dillan Shaw added 13 for Saint Mary’s, which led by four at halftime.
With the Bulldogs moving to the revamped Pac-12 next season, it was the last conference matchup between the schools in Spokane. They will square off at Saint Mary’s in California to close the regular season Feb. 28.
Saint Mary’s, for years Gonzaga’s toughest challenger for WCC supremacy, won its previous two visits to The Kennel.
Ike picked up where he left off after missing three games with right ankle soreness. The fifth-year forward scored Gonzaga’s first basket on a left-handed push shot before knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Zags a 9-2 lead.
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They pushed the advantage to 19-9 when Warley intercepted a post entry pass and found Tyon Grant-Foster down the floor. Grant-Foster spun through the lane before hoisting up a contested layup that fell through.
Saint Mary’s responded behind Murauskas, who accounted for three of its first six field goals. The WCC’s leading scorer converted a three-point play that sparked a 9-0 run and pulled the Gaels within one.
Saint Mary’s went 15 for 16 from the free-throw line in the first half and took a 38-34 lead into the break after Liam Campbell sank two foul shots with 0.1 seconds remaining.
Innocenti followed a scoreless first half with 10 quick points to help Gonzaga tie it at 46. Ike then hit a turnaround jumper along the baseline to put the Bulldogs back in front.
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Gonzaga, the nation’s leader in points in the paint, outscored the Gaels 36-20 inside and outrebounded them 39-34.
Up next
Saint Mary’s hosts San Diego on Wednesday.
Gonzaga visits Portland on Wednesday.
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