LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The first 20 minutes played out in typical Gonzaga-San Francisco fashion.

Even when the Dons tried to toss a wrench into things, the Zags made sure the script didn’t change in the final 20.

It was neck-and-neck between the West Coast Conference’s second- and third-seeded teams for the first half of a semifinal meeting at Orleans Arena – probably not a surprise to anyone well-versed in the recent history between Gonzaga and USF.

In the last six meetings, there have been three instances where one of the two teams led by a single point at halftime. Another game was deadlocked at the break and the only real first-half separation either created in matchups over the last two years came eight days ago at the Chase Center, when GU racked up a 15-point lead at the halftime intermission.

Gonzaga was on the wrong side of the halftime tally this time, but for the 33rd straifht time against San Francisco, the Bulldogs were the right side of the final score, riding monster second halves from Graham Ike and Khalif Battle to an 85-76 victory at Orleans Arena.

The next part of the script arrives Tuesday when Gonzaga plays in its 28th consecutive title game, facing a team its encountered on the final day of the WCC Tournament 12 times since the annual event moved to Las Vegas. Two teams with at-large NCAA Tournament bids all but locked up, Gonzaga (24-8) and Saint Mary’s (28-4) tip off at 6 p.m. (ESPN).

But first, more on the other streak Gonzaga extended on Monday by winning for a 33rd straight time against USF – a program that made the NCAA Tournament three years ago and has regularly hovered near the top of the WCC standings under coach Chris Gerlufsen and predecessors Todd Golden (Florida) and Kyle Smith (Stanford).

“It’s nuts, man,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “That’s an NCAA Tournament-caliber team there. They have great size, they’ve got incredible guard play. (Ryan) Beasley’s just been heroic these last two nights coming back from his ankle and (Malik) Thomas was spectacular.”

Not unlike many of the past matchups, this one required mettle on Gonzaga’s part. The Zags not only trailed at halftime but found themselved in a one-point game after Saba Gigiberia connected on a jumper with 7 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the second half.

Ike and Battle, especially, were up for the task, accounting for most of Gonzaga’s key scoring surges while combining for 33 of the team’s 50 points in the second half.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) amps up the crowd against the San Francisco Dons during the second half of the WCC Tournament Semifinals on Monday, Mar. 10, 2025, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Gonzaga won the game 85-76. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

Ike went first, scoring on four consecutive baskets coming out of halftime to turn a two-point deficit into a four-point lead.

“We just like to set the tone in the second half with the first four minutes,” Ike said. “That’s just how we set the tone in this gsame.”

Battle’s initial burst started after the transfer guard knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a 48-42 lead with 15 minutes, 50 seconds to play. He converted a steal into two free throws less than two minutes later, then went back to the line for another free-throw set and followed that up with another triple to make it 59-55.

The pro-Zag crowd at Orleans Arena took kindly to Battle’s scoring flurries, creating another obstacle for the Dons as they tried to make a final push down the stretch, against the backrop of loud roars and chants.

“I’ve been a lot of places, but being around the Zag fans has been amazing,” Battle said. “You can’t walk two steps in a hotel without somebody saying ‘Go Zags,’ so it’s been a big family atmosphere, they’re all invested in us winning and we just want to get the dub for them tomorrow and be holding the trophy.”

Ike scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. The senior forward and All-WCC selection made 9 of 13 shots from the field and went 10 of 12 from the free throw line, scoring 17 points in the second half.

Battle bounced back from a quiet first half to finish with 21 points on 5 of 11 from the field, 3 of 7 from the 3-point line and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. The transfer guard had 16 points after the break.

Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard scored eight points and had eight assists and senior wing Michael Ajayi gave the Zags a lift off the bench, scoring nine points while totaling seven rebounds, two steals and one block.

A shorthanded USF team entered the WCC Tournament without all-conference guard Marcus Williams, who was withheld from competition due to an NCAA rule violation.

The Dons leaned on top WCC scorer Malik Thomas, who had 27 points on 9 of 18 from the field, 5 of 8 from the 3-point line and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Ryan Beasley, who injured his ankle in the first half of the last GU-USF meeting, scored 13 points in his third career start.

“We just had more bite as a team,” Thomas said of Monday’s matchup in relation to other games against Gonzaga this season. “I felt like our first time playing them, we were on our heels a little bit. Gave them a little too much credit, a little too much respect. I felt like tonight, we knew we had a chance to win the game. We went into the game super confident. It’s hard for a team to beat someone three times, so we were playing hard, playing smart and playing confident.”