SPOKANE, Wash. — One of college basketball’s most historic rivalries was played for the final time in Spokane on Saturday — at least as conference opponents — as Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s met for the 120th time overall and the final time as West Coast Conference foes at the McCarthey Athletic Center before Gonzaga moves to the Pac-12 next season.

And if this was the last time the two meet in Spokane, Gonzaga went out with a bang, beating the Gaels 73-65 for its first home win over Saint Mary’s since the 2022-23 season.

The Zags could not have done it without Graham Ike, who played his first game in more than two weeks after dealing with an ankle injury and scored a game-high 30 points while hitting three 3-pointers.

For the big man playing his final season of college basketball, the game meant more than just another conference matchup — it was personal.

“We know how much this means to the university and also to us, everybody here in Spokane, and we definitely wanted to take care of business,” Ike said after the game. “Personally, I had never beaten these guys before on my home floor before this, and that was definitely something that I wanted to do in my last year, and I’m glad we could get that done.”

Gonzaga’s last home win over its longtime rival came more than 1,070 days earlier, when Braden Huff was a true freshman during his redshirt season. He is the only player still on the roster from Gonzaga’s last home win over Saint Mary’s, a 77-68 victory during the 2022-23 season. While no other players remain from that team, that drought made Saturday’s win hit a little harder.

“We know the last two times at home they got us, so we definitely had a sense of pride trying to defend home court, and the crowd did a great job lifting us up, as they always do, but today it was A-plus,” said Jalen Warley, who scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

For head coach Mark Few, it was just another game and another win, though he said it might feel different the next time the two teams meet in the regular season or postseason.

“I just kind of look forward,” Few said. “We’ve got a game on Wednesday now, so I’m just kind of dialed into that. No sentimental feelings whatsoever. I mean, you know, just another tough win against a really, really, really good opponent. Well coached, tough, great players, but that’s about it. We’ll play them again. We’ll probably play them two more times, so … maybe I’ll be sentimental then, I don’t know.”

For now, it is back to work for No. 6 Gonzaga, which has a quick turnaround with a two-game road trip on deck. The Zags visit Portland (10-14, 3-8) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Corvallis to face Oregon State (12-12, 5-6) on Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games will air locally on NonStop Local KHQ and stream on SWXLocalSports.com.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s final regular-season meeting as WCC foes is set for Feb. 28 in Moraga, marking the final regular-season game of the 2025-26 season.