Defense, Graham Ike help Gonzaga claim another WCC Tournament title | 3 takeaways

LAS VEGAS – Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 79-68 win over Santa Clara in Tuesday’s West Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

Defense leads the way

The Zags’ defense allowed them to survive some rocky stretches over the first 27 minutes.

Gonzaga trailed throughout the first half and into the second before nosing in front for the first time near the 13-minute mark on a Davis Fogle 3-pointer. From there, Gonzaga’s defense clamped down even tighter as the Bulldogs pulled in front for good with a 7-0 spurt.

The Zags’ first-possession defense was strong all game, but they struggled to contain Santa Clara on the offensive glass.

The Broncos shot 39.4% in the first half and just 37.1% in the closing half. SCU scored 77 and 86 points against GU in two regular-season losses and topped the WCC at 87.2 points in conference games.

Ike gets the better half

Santa Clara did something very few teams have been able to do this season – limiting scoring machine Graham Ike’s points, shots and touches.

At least in the first half.

Ike, who poured in 55 points on 23 of 32 shooting in a pair of regular-season wins over the Broncos, had as many turnovers (two) as first-half field goals.

The WCC Player of the Year faced double teams at the outset and turned it over twice. He made a nice spin move on Allen Graves and drove for a dunk but then went 15 minutes before hitting a shot from the middle of the lane despite a crowd of defenders.

The second half was a different story. The 6-foot-9 forward found more open looks and open space, one coming on a thunderous dunk on the break and another on a 3-pointer from the top of the circle.

He caught a pass underneath and scored on a layup to give Gonzaga a 62-56 advantage with 7:07 left.

Ike finished with 15 points, connecting on all seven of his shots, four rebounds and two assists.

Ike, who came in averaging 19.9 points and 21.9 in conference games, scored in double figures in every game except Michigan. He was battling a tender ankle in that game and missed all nine shot attempts while scoring one point.

Back for seconds

Offensive rebounding and second-chance points have been a strength of Gonzaga’s most of the season, but not in Tuesday’s title game, particularly in the opening half.

Santa Clara collected a whopping 11 offensive boards in the first 20 minutes, leading to a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Gonzaga did some damage in those categories in the second half, but Santa Clara didn’t exactly slow down.

The Zags responded with 12 second-chance points, including a momentum-swinging play in crunch time. Ike retrieved a Fogle miss, then fed the freshman for a layup while being fouled by Graves. Fogle missed the free throw, but GU led 70-63 with 3:28 left.

SCU finished with 20 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points.

Gonzaga has been outscored in second-chance points seven times – four of those coming in the last six games. Oregon State had a 13-6 advantage in Monday’s semifinal loss to the Zags. Saint Mary’s blitzed Gonzaga 16-3 en route to a 70-59 win in the regular-season finale.

GU entered the championship game with a 5.1-point advantage in second-chance points this season.