Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs got a crucial road win Saturday night, knocking off Santa Clara, 94-86, to return to the top of the West Coast Conference standings.
Graham Ike (21 points, 15 rebounds) was once again Gonzaga's anchor on the block, but the supporting cast really stepped up for the 6'9 big man. Adam Miller had 16 of his season-high 21 points in the final seven minutes, Tyon Grant-Foster had his second 20-point game in a Zag uniform, and Emmanuel Innocenti had a Gonzaga career-high 16 points with five offensive rebounds.
Those four scored 78 of Gonzaga's 94 points, which was in part due to a limited role for starting forward Jalen Warley. Warley played just 13 minutes on Saturday, scoring two points on 1-2 shooting along with two rebounds, two steals, an assist, and one turnover.
The 6'7 wing was dealing with foul trouble, and Grant-Foster played excellently off the bench, but those weren't the only reasons Warley spent so little time on the floor.
"He's really hurt," coach Few said after the game. "He's not even practicing. It's just one of those things that's just going to take a while."
Warley suffered a thigh bruise in the first few minutes of Gonzaga's loss to Portland back on Feb. 4, and Few said the fifth-year senior was hardly walking leading up to the team's win at Oregon State last Saturday. Warley played 17 minutes in that game – mostly in the first half – and managed to play 23 minutes against Washington State on Tuesday.
Despite the pain, Warley has remained efficient offensively, shooting 9-14 (64.2%) from the field in these last four games, but he hasn't been as explosive defensively or on the glass. Warley grabbed seven total rebounds in those four games, with a high of three against WSU. For comparison, the senior grabbed four or more rebounds in ten straight games prior to the team's loss to Portland.
"He's in a lot of pain," Few continued. "Literally hasn't been able to practice and I think it's affecting his wind a little bit. He was so tired tonight. He's a warrior."
Warley is a crucial part of Gonzaga's rotation this year, thanks to his versatility on defense, physicality on the boards, and ability to get out in transition and attack the rim. He's averaging 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in 21.7 minutes per game this season, while shooting 57.5% from the field.
Gonzaga will hope the 6'7 wing can recover over the next three days, with a road trip to the Chase Center in San Francisco coming up next. The game will tip off at 8:00 PM PT on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS
- What Gonzaga players said after pivotal road win vs. Santa Clara
- What Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after pivotal win over Santa Clara
- Gonzaga retakes first place in WCC with gutsy road win over Santa Clara
- Graham Ike's leadership carrying Gonzaga through late season adversity
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Mark Few gives injury update on Gonzaga forward Jalen Warley.