Graham Ike Scores 34 as Gonzaga Gets Back at Santa Clara, Wins 10th Straight Game
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Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34) shoots the ball against Santa Clara Broncos guard Sash Gavalyugov (2) and Santa Clara Broncos forward Allen Graves (22) in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images [/caption]
SPOKANE, Wash. – 356 days ago, Santa Clara left the home crowd at the McCarthy Athletic Center stunned, stealing a 103-99 victory over Gonzaga, which was ranked No. 17 at the time.
Fast forward nearly a year later, and the Broncos (13-5, 4-1) once again attempted to upset the Bulldogs (17-1, 5-0) on the road, who are now ranked No. 8 and also carried an undefeated conference record into the matchup.
But the Zags turned SCU away, defeating them 89-77 thanks to a big night from Graham Ike, who remembered the close loss his team suffered the last time these teams faced off in Spokane.
“We definitely wanted to defend home court better than we did last year, and I thought we did a better job of that,” he said.
Ike did all he could to will the Zags to a win this time around – coming one point shy of his career-high that he notched in the 2021-22 season against Denver as a member of Wyoming – scoring 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, tallying his 10th double-double of the year. In fact, it was the first time Ike eclipsed the 30-point threshold as a member of GU.
The 6-9 graduate student was a threat at all three levels and came out of the gate hot in terms of dominating offensively. Ike was physical down low and strong in his finishes inside, while also converting some contested jumpers in the mid-range game. He even knocked down a stepback three-pointer on the wing.
The variety of ways the big man can get a bucket is of no surprise to Ike’s running mate in the frontcourt, though.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said forward Braden Huff. “I mean, we work out together all the time, I know he’s capable of knocking down those shots. He had it going from the jump, and he didn’t let up at all tonight.”
“He could be a 20-plus point per game scorer, but he sacrifices a lot to win for the team,” Huff continued. “So tonight, I think you just saw how dominant he is, and definitely in my eyes, the best big in the country.”
Emmanuel Innocenti, who was sitting to Huff’s left, nodded in agreement to Huff’s claim.
But even with Ike’s consistent scoring contributions, the Zags found themselves down a decent amount late in the first half. Plagued with 11 committed fouls, 10 early turnovers, and nine offensive rebounds allowed, the first 18 minutes didn’t go as planned for Gonzaga, which was down eight points as Santa Clara surged to an 11-0 run. No Bulldog aside from Ike had gotten into much of a groove offensively, and the half-court operation went into a rut for an approximate four-minute stretch.
Gonzaga made the most of the final two minutes of the period, forcing three turnovers, including a shot-clock violation to knot things up at 37 before the halftime buzzer. And after the two squads traded blows to begin the ensuing period, that same formula of limiting self-inflicted wounds and capitalizing on empty possessions by the Broncos allowed GU to open things up.
At one point, the Zags returned the favor with an 11-0 run of their own, before extending it to 17 unanswered points. The overwhelming onslaught in such a short amount of time made the once-close battle seem to have never truly been close by its end.
The only other Bulldog to join Ike in double figures by the game’s conclusion was Innocenti, who made all four of his shot attempts, including a three-pointer and a couple of strong slams, as the 6-5 defensive-minded forward flashed some serious burst off the dribble.
As expected, the dominant blowouts the Bulldogs flexed frequently in nonconference play won’t occur as commonly against WCC opponents. But the roster’s experience and preparation keep the team ready for the moments when it needs to dig deep in the face of adversity.
“You can definitely credit some to the veteran leadership,” Ike started. “I really think it was like the 7 AM practices in the summer… we didn’t have a choice, and nobody batted an eye or said anything in regards of trying to get out of it. Everybody stood together and were just like, we’re getting through this, and that just built a callus for who we are today.”
