CORVALLIS, Ore. — Gonzaga players may not have been around for a decades-long run of futility against Oregon State — a stretch where the Bulldogs accumulated just two victories compared to 25 losses over 80 years — but all were on hand 12 days ago in Corvallis when the Beavers erased a late six-point deficit and rallied for an upset win in overtime, sending hundreds of zealous students onto the hardwood floor at Gill Coliseum.
With those images still seared in the memories of Gonzaga players, the Zags had all the inspiration and motivation they needed to return the favor in a way the Beavers wouldn’t forget during a return game at McCarthey Athletic Center Tuesday night.
Graham Ike, whose game-tying 3-pointer eventually became a footnote in the first meeting between the schools, landed a handful of early jabs, Khalif Battle broke out of a two-game scoring slump and the Zags showed the defensive resolve that was visibly absent two weeks ago, thumping OSU 98-60 for their first win over the Beavers since 1932.
“Even before we stepped out onto the floor, just the whole week of preparation,” Ike said. “Just getting more stops, playing hard and just playing together. That’s what we did tonight. I’m proud of the guys, proud of what we did tonight and just look forward to keeping it going.”
It was all Ike for the first 6 1/2 minutes, all Battle for the next 10 and virtually all Gonzaga for the totality of Tuesday’s game, as the Bulldogs fell just two points shy of 100 points for the fifth time this season and, more significant given the current state of Mark Few’s team, limited the Beavers to 38.2% from the field two weeks after yielding 58.5% and 97 points to Wayne Tinkle’s team.
Ike, who came off the bench in Saturday’s game at Portland, climbed back into the starting lineup three days later and was dominant from the jump. The senior had Gonzaga’s first points on a tip-in layup and rattled off 11 more before the Beavers could catch their breath, making 6 of his first 7 shots and punishing OSU’s frontcourt on almost every possession until he checked out of the game at the 13-minute, 30-second mark.
“He was great, he was great against a really, really good front line,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “Those guys are big, they’re physical and they’ve got a bunch of bodies they can throw at you. They cover down a lot, so he even went through some double teams and was very forceful which is when he’s special, when he plays like that.”
Ike didn’t score for the remainder of the first half, but he added nine more points in the second to finish with 22 in the game. The forward went 10 of 12 from the field and 2 of 3 from the free throw while pulling down seven rebounds.
Coming off scoreless performances in back-to-back games, Battle, who didn’t attempt a shot on Saturday against Portland, got on the scoresheet with a pair of free throws at the 12-minute, 49-second mark and proceeded to score in point-per-minute fashion for the rest of the first half.
The Arkansas transfer hurt the Beavers in a variety of ways, mixing in quick-trigger 3-pointers, driving layups and free throws to supply 19 points in 13 first-half minutes. Battle finished with 23 points for his second-highest total of the season, making 4 of 5 shots from the field, 3 of 4 from the 3-point line and 12 of 13 from the free throw line.
“Like I told him, when he plays like that he’s electric but he makes us a really special team when he’s engaged and aggressive,” Few said. “It’s a bonus that he’s making all those shots, but when he’s engaged like that and aggressive, it just gives us another entity basically that’s tough to deal with.”
Even when Ike and Battle weren’t scoring, other Gonzaga players continued to apply pressure on the offensive end.
Nolan Hickman closed the game with a 3-point shooting avalanche, drilling four shots from behind the arc in the second half to finish with 16 points and help the Zags finish 9 of 17 (52.9%) from distance. Michael Ajayi had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench, reaching double figures in consecutive games for the first time this season. Ben Gregg and Braden Huff combined for 14 points and point guard Ryan Nembhard had six points to go with nine assists.
Good for 49 total points in the last game between the teams, Oregon State’s Michael Rataj and Nate Kingz combined for just 26 points on 9 of 19 shooting in Tuesday’s game. Point guard Damarco Minor had 10 points but finished 4 of 11 from the field and committed five turnovers.
The Zags finished 33 of 60 (55%) from the field, 23 of 27 (85.2%) from the free throw line and stacked up big advantages in bench points (48-15) and points off turnovers (23-4).
A demanding WCC stretch for Gonzaga (17-6, 7-3) continues on Saturday with the first meeting against first-place Saint Mary’s (18-3, 8-0). The Gaels currently own a two-game advantage at the top of the conference standings but play fourth-place Santa Clara on Wednesday before Saturday’s matchup with the Zags in Moraga.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
