Jalen Warley returns from injury to contribute GU’s win over Oregon State | 3 takeaways
LAS VEGAS – Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 65-56 victory over fourth-seeded Oregon State in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals on Monday at Orleans Arena.
Warley returns
Gonzaga welcomed the return of forward Jalen Warley, who missed the previous two games with a lingering thigh contusion. The Virginia transfer seemed to have pretty good mobility while challenging perimeter shots, leaping for rebounds and scoring one basket in transition.
Warley was back in the starting five and contributed in just about every column of the stat sheet. The 6-foot-7 senior hit a pair of free throws with 15:24 left to boost GU’s lead to 6-0 before checking out.
After Oregon State cut Gonzaga’s lead to 27-19, Warley capped a patient possession by feeding Adam Miller for one of Gonzaga’s two first-half 3-pointers.
On one of OSU’s possessions early in the second half, Warley effectively switched from guarding 6-11 Jorge Diaz Graham onto 6-2 guard Dez White and then pulled down a defensive rebound.
Warley battled foul trouble in the second half and finished with four points, three rebounds and one assist.
Warley injured his quad in the opening minutes of GU’s road loss to Portland on Feb. 4.
Junior forward Braden Huff (knee) is still sidelined but he was walking without crutches.
OSU slow start, part II
Oregon State has dug holes immediately in its two tournament games. One night after slipping into an 11-0 deficit after six-plus minutes vs. San Francisco, the Beavers trailed 6-0 at the first media timeout against the Zags.
They finally got on the scoreboard on a Dez White jumper with 14:52 left, ending an 0-of-9 stretch from the field.
The Beavers also missed their first nine 3-point attempts before Jorge Diaz Graham connected with 7:09 remaining.
OSU rallied to edge San Francisco 78-77 in the quarterfinals, but the Beavers never led against Gonzaga and trailed by as many as 15 in the first half.
The Beavers pulled within nine points early in the second half, but spent the rest of the half down by double digits until hitting a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Ike better than OK
Graham Ike tormented the Beavers for the second time this season.
The 6-9 senior tied his career high with 35 points in Gonzaga’s 81-61 win in Corvallis. He was back at it in Monday’s semifinals, powering for 24 points against a rotation of three Oregon State bigs.
Ike’s perimeter shot wasn’t falling but he hit a couple of mid-range jumpers and dominated closer to the basket. Ike bullied Yaak Yaak and Diaz Graham on the low block for layups.
Ike made a right-handed hook with the Beavers attempting to take away his left hand. He spun off Yaak Yaak for a close-range bucket.
The WCC Player of the Year hit 10 of 17 shots. Ike has 14 double-doubles this season and 47 in his career. He also became the 86th Division I player in history to score at least 2,500 career points.