> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Gonzaga Grabs Statement 95-85 Win Over No. 8 Alabama at Players Era Festival - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/gonzaga-grabs-statement-95-85-win-over-alabama-at-players-era-festival/ - Published: 2025-11-25T08:34:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:54:35.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Gonzaga, Mark Few, Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Tyon Grant-Foster, Steele Venters \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3306"\] ![ Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) during the second half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27674806-format-original.jpg) Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) during the second half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images \[/caption\] In its first true tight game of the season, No. 12 Gonzaga (6-0) delivered down the stretch to beat No. 8 Alabama 95-85 (3-2) in the Zags’ first game of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. For much of last year, the Bulldogs struggled to execute in crunch time in order to close out games. With this team’s increased level of experience, they passed their first test in a game that wasn’t decided until late, once again banking on their defense and size. Early on in the contest, it was a defensive battle between the two sides. The Zags frustratingly fell slightly behind as they had their fair share of opportunities, but couldn’t convert on their chances. The ball was getting to GU’s renowned bigs, Graham Ike and Braden Huff, but the Crimson Tide were extremely aggressive in defending the two. Double teams and help were sent when Ike or Huff received the ball on the block, and both players arrogantly went up with the shots regardless. It resulted in Ike missing all of his first six shot attempts before he had his first stint on the bench, and Huff not getting much going either. When Gonzaga did kick it to the outside, there were plenty of open looks for their shooters, especially Adam Miller and Steele Venters, whose main priority on the floor is to knock down shots from beyond the arc. Miller, who was in the starting lineup, missed his first three treys, and Venter also couldn’t connect on his first two attempts. Coinciding with a slow start offensively, the Bulldogs seemed off-kilter defensively, as easy shots opened up for Alabama due to miscommunication on some of GU’s switches, as well as players getting caught sleeping on backdoor cuts that allowed the Tide to jump out to a six-point lead. The one positive was the Bulldogs continuing to get bites at the apple by dominating the offensive glass. They grabbed 20 rebounds off their own misses during the game and won the rebounding battle overall 48-36, taking advantage of being a bit bigger than Alabama down low. When Ike did come back on the floor, he settled in. The 6-11 forward went on to hit his next five shots, as Alabama stopped sending doubles, and he took advantage of being able to get to his spots much easier. About midway through the second half, Ike appeared to come up limping, favoring one of his legs, but he played through it. The big man finished with his fourth double-double of the season, logging 21 points and 11 rebounds. Huff also got going, as he had 18 points and eight boards on the night on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting. Alongside the Zags’ dominant frontcourt, Tyon Grant-Foster continues to shine as the team’s X-factor this season. He finished tied with Ike for the team lead in points while pulling down seven boards, capturing several huge highlight plays throughout. Grant-Foster drew a foul in the first half as he cut through the lane and threw a shot up and in, where it looked as if he barely looked at the rim. He also grabbed his own rebound on a missed layup and, with four Alabama players surrounding him, got the second chance basket. Later on, Grant-Foster blocked a runner on a fast break during a wild sequence while also completing an alley-oop on the baseline off a dish from Ike on the block. His head coach acknowledges the significance of the playstyle Grant-Foster brings, as someone who knows what to do when a broken play occurs, and how imperative that is in tight games. “He’s already changed our team with some of the plays he makes,” Mark Few said. “He has this ability, when we have a breakdown on defense, he comes flying out of nowhere to pin it against the backboard or steal it or just make plays. He’s got a real gift. His basketball intellect, especially on that side of the floor, is really high.” But for the first 30 minutes of the contest, no Zag could resist Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. from getting what he wanted offensively. The sophomore guard had a career-high 29 points and doubled the next closest Crimson Tide scorer on the night. But Philon Jr.’s final made field goal came with 9:51 to go, as he missed both of his last two shot attempts and turned the ball over twice to finish the game. Few said he resorted to throwing the kitchen sink at Philon Jr., because he was ‘cooking’ the Bulldogs. It was a testament to how Gonzaga executed the varying schemes to guard the hot shooter and how important that tactic will be later in the season. “We switched defenses three different times. We switched our coverages, and they \[Gonzaga\] hit their coverages every single time, every single time,” Few said. “And that again is those little steps because man, you get to March, we’re a team that wants to switch our coverages, we want to switch our defenses. Everybody’s gotta be on the same page, everybody’s gotta do their job, and you gotta execute like you do on offense.” For Grant-Foster, as a unit, it was just time to lock in and put a stop to Philon Jr.’s streak. “Philon’s a really, really good player. But I just feel like it came a point in time where it was time to win,” he said. “And down the stretch, we knew what we needed to do. Padlocks.” Their shutting down of Philon Jr. allowed them to separate from the Crimson Tide. Grant-Foster poked the ball away on defense and flushed it home on the other end. Then Venters knocked down a three from the corner, as he finished 4-for-8 from downtown on the night after a cold start to post 12 points. Philon Jr.’s second turnover in that stretch was an errant pass right to Huff, who kicked it ahead to Mario Saint-Supéry for a dime to Ike. It stretched the Zags’ lead to 10, and they never looked back. There are still things the Bulldogs need to work on amidst their undefeated start to the season, whether that be poor shot selection or out-of-control passing. But with the competition they’ve faced – and beaten – expectations continue to elevate for Gonzaga. “I feel great because there’s room for growth, I mean, there’s a lot of stuff that I feel like we need to clean up right now that I feel gives us a higher ceiling,” Few said. “…So it’s really encouraging, and it’s really kind of exciting from that point of view, but I give these guys a lot of credit. We’ve played a pretty arduous schedule so far, and they’ve found ways to win.”