Gonzaga Cruises in Senior Night Win Over Portland, Clinches No. 1 Seed in WCC
SPOKANE, Wash. – There was no semblance of an upset this time around. In Gonzaga’s final game of the season at the McCarthey Athletic Center, the Bulldogs (28-2, 16-1) annihilated Portland (12-18, 5-12) on Senior Night 89-48, clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and at least a share of the regular season title in the program’s final year as a member of the WCC.
It capped off their first undefeated season at home since 2021-22, and with the Zags cutting down the net on their home court afterwards, the postgame emotions were certainly different compared to when they suffered their lone conference loss to the Pilots three weeks ago. It was a true beatdown on both ends, as GU notched its largest margin of defeat of West Coast play, and its most lopsided victory since December 7, when it beat North Florida by 51.
Fueling Portland in its previous matchup against Gonzaga was freshman Joel Foxwell, who drilled several contested and back-breaking shots on the way to a 27-point performance. His game tonight started similarly, as he knocked down two stepback three-pointers over Mario Saint-Supéry before drawing a foul on a third attempt from distance. But his scoring magic did not continue, with the Bulldogs locking in defensively on Foxwell – who finished with just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting – and the rest of the Pilots’ offense to hold them to several scoreless stretches.
Most notably, Portland posted an over seven-minute stretch in the first half where it did not find the bottom of the basket, part of a 16-0 Bulldogs run.
The performance was even more impressive when factoring in that the Zags were without one of their two best defenders, Jalen Warley. Even though he wanted to honor as many final-year players as possible, Mark Few didn’t insert Warley, a usual starter, into the lineup as the versatile forward continues to deal with a bruised thigh. So it was the freshman Saint-Supéry starting alongside seniors Adam Miller, Steele Venters, Noah Haaland, and Graham Ike.
Venters was a part of the pregame ceremony even though he could return for another year after having missed two full seasons because of injuries, while Tyon Grant-Foster wasn’t recognized in his final season at the collegiate level, as he was honored last year while being a member of GCU.
Picking up the slack for Warley’s absence on the defensive end was Ike, who is normally heralded for his prowess at putting the ball in the basket. But in his final game at the Kennel, the 6-9 forward tied Derek Raivio for most steals in a game with seven. Ike notched six of them in the first half, passing his prior career-high of four in just his first 18 minutes of action.
He was extremely active, with Ike’s steals coming from him poking in passing lanes, stripping his defensive assignment outright, or jumping and lunging for 50/50 balls. Spearheading a Zags defense that forced 15 turnovers in the opening period and 22 on the night, Ike left Bulldogs fans with a lasting memory of his play aside from his 19 points and eight rebounds.
“I think the whole, entire world could see it; I thought it was defense,” Ike said on the difference between his team’s games against Portland. “We played exceptional on that side of the ball tonight, and we capitalized on their turnovers. It was amazing the way everybody was flying around.”
Although GU was stout on defense, its lead didn’t open up for a while due to subpar offense to start, particularly on shots from beyond the arc. It’s no secret that three-point shooting isn’t a strength of this squad, and after starting the game 4-for-7, Gonzaga missed its next nine attempts from distance.
But in the second half, more of those deep-range shots fell, putting nails in Portland’s coffin. Saint-Supéry hit three of his four threes after halftime, while Braeden Smith drilled two of his own. Ike, Miller, and Venters each knocked down one as well, with the former adding to the two he drilled in the opening minutes of the contest. Finishing with 14 threes, the Zags made their most shots of that ilk since their Nov. 25 win over Maryland, tying a season high.
The Bulldogs’ point guards, Saint-Supéry and Smith, combined for 27 points, as the latter shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, totaling 15 points and four assists. Their play moving forward will be incredibly important down the stretch, especially with the unknown status of Braden Huff, who is still out with a left knee injury. Getting some run on the floor at the same time, the two played well off each other to set up shots for themselves and others.
Even though Gonzaga’s final game of the regular season Saturday night against its rival Saint Mary’s won’t have stakes bigger than simple bragging rights, it will be GU’s final tune-up before its first game of the WCC tournament, which won’t be until Monday, March 9. But the Bulldogs’ focus is still squarely on the matchup in Moraga, with Gonzaga searching for its first sweep of the Gaels since the 2020-21 campaign.
