Gonzaga Storms Back From Halftime Deficit to Knock Off Seattle U in Overtime
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Gonzaga Bulldogs Graham Ike (15) and Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) celebrate against the Seattle U Redhawks in overtime at McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga Bulldogs won 80-72 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images [/caption]
SPOKANE, Wash. — Even with the calendar flipping over to 2026, No. 7 Gonzaga (15-1, 3-0) carried over some bad habits from its previous game against San Diego in their contest with Seattle U (12-4, 1-2). The Bulldogs turned the ball over more than their usual, didn’t convert high-percentage looks, and were sloppy on their defensive rotations. But by pure willpower, the Zags marched back from down as much as 13 points to win an overtime thriller at home over the Redhawks 80-72.
“It was a gutty, gutty response. Obviously Seattle had us on the ropes for pretty much most of that game,” said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. “…There was a lot of heroic plays there down the stretch, both defensively and offensively.”
Much like the Bulldogs’ lone loss to Michigan, SU got the Zags out of rhythm to pad their lead. Although they wound up only winning the battle on the boards by one, the Redhawks had a sizeable rebounding advantage for much of the game, particularly on the offensive glass. Gaining extra possessions, Seattle U capitalized on them, starting on fire from three, a category that GU couldn’t keep up with.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from Gonzaga, to say the least. Renowned shooters Steele Venters and Adam Miller were a combined 0-of-4 from deep, and both of Emmanuel Innocenti’s attempts from distance were airballs with the shot clock expiring. Usual gimme opportunities like fast break layups were smoked by the likes of Venters, Braeden Smith, and Mario Saint-Supéry. Although being one of the better defensive teams in the country, the Bulldogs couldn’t execute their coverages correctly throughout the night, as the Redhawks did a great job of generating numerous good looks from downtown. A team that has also done an exceptional job of not being careless with the basketball this season had eight turnovers to just 11 made field goals in the first half.
For the first portion of the second half, GU couldn’t put much of a dent into their deficit as every time it seemed to pick up some momentum, the Redhawks responded with a backbreaking score of their own. Routinely, SU would connect on a contested three-pointer late in the shot clock or swoop in for an offensive rebound after a missed shot and then convert on the second chance.
It reached a boiling point when former Bulldog Junseok Yeo was matched up with Graham Ike on the perimeter in the second half, with about 10 seconds to go in the possession. Ike poked the ball away from Yeo, who was forced to pick the ball up. Turning away and throwing up a prayer with the shot clock expiring over the taller Ike, Yeo netted the shot from beyond the arc to stretch the Seattle U lead to 11. Simply put, the standard program for decades in the WCC was having serious problems with the conference’s newest addition, ironically in GU’s final season in the West Coast.
Struggling immensely to find a rhythm offensively, the Bulldogs relied on their top trio to step up in order to make a comeback possible. For the first 23:49 of action, no Zag other than Braden Huff, Graham Ike, or Tyon Grant-Foster was credited in the scoring column, and each of those three had their own sections of the game where their impact was felt most.
Huff had Gonzaga’s first nine points, going on to score a game-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting with six rebounds. Joining Ike and Grant-Foster with 1,000 career points at the collegiate level, Huff was the consistent offensive option for the Bulldogs throughout the affair.
He did some heavy lifting early on with Ike not starting after being given a technical foul when playing the Toreros. It was the same case as last year when the 6-9 forward didn’t start versus Portland after being assessed a technical in an overtime loss to Santa Clara.
But Ike responded to the situation admirably, scoring in waves and bunches, as he had his ups and downs, finishing with his ninth double-double in a 24-point, 10-rebound game. His best sequence came down the stretch, where he scored eight points in a two-minute span to cut the Seattle U lead to four.
Grant-Foster was extremely impactful once more for GU, posting 19 points and five rebounds while shooting 7-for-9. Eight of his points were in overtime, where he took advantage of broken plays and used his patience to finish through contact down low. But his most-popping contribution was his defense on the perimeter, as he blocked five shots in the game, with four of them being jumpers, including the final attempt from Brycen Maldonado. Offering defensive protection not just at the rim, Grant-Foster’s length provides a rare skillset that even Few hasn’t had before in one of his players.
“He's just got a real gift for blocking shots out there on the perimeter, it’s crazy. I've never had a guy like that, like him, that can just challenge a shot and block,” Few said. “You don't see very many perimeter blocked shots…He does it a lot.”
GU finished the game outscoring the Redhawks 33-13 in the final 13:05. Doing a better job of defending Seattle U in the half-court, collecting rebounds after getting those stops, and converting off those empty possessions by SU, the Zags were able to stage a comeback on their home floor. Even without being able to get within a bucket or two for most of the matchup, the confidence never wavered on the Bulldogs’ bench, and they stole a victory from the jaws of defeat.
“Everybody was on one accord. Nobody got flustered throughout the game, just kept sawing wood. That's what Coach kept saying,” Ike said. “Everybody was locked in on getting stops. We knew we would score the ball. We just had to make sure we finished possessions with rebounds. And that's what we did, nobody was rattled, and I think it showed the true testament and character of this team.”
