#9/9 Gonzaga (17-1, 5-0 WCC) at Washington State (8-10, 3-2 WCC)
THURSDAY, JAN. 15 | 7 P.M. PT | PULLMAN, WA | BEASLEY COLISEUM
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga makes the 78-mile trek to Pullman to play Washington State in Beasley Coliseum Thursday at 7 p.m. The Zags have won nine of the last 10 meetings, including the last seven straight.
- The Bulldogs are coming off an 89-77 win over Santa Clara last Thursday in Spokane. GU won its 10th straight game behind 34 points from Graham Ike. He was one-point off his career-high, but made the most points in his Zag career, shooting 13-of-17 from the field. He finished with his 10th double-double, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Emmanuel Innocenti added 13 points and Braden Huff scored 12. The Bulldogs shot 58 percent from the field and used a 20-1 second half run to pull away. Gonzaga led by as many as 23 points.
- For his efforts, Ike was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season.
- The Zags have had at least 10 wins in-a-row in 17 seasons under Few, but this is the first since 2022-23.
- Gonzaga's 17-1 start matches the fifth-best start in program history, and is 5-0 in WCC play for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. The Zags' seven straight road wins matches the third-longest streak in the nation.
- GU is one of six teams in the nation with both its offense (7th) and defense (12th) in KenPom's Top 12.
- The Zags currently lead the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89, 7th in NCAA), assists (19.9, 8th), bench points (37.7, 9th), effective field goal percentage (.582, 18th), fast-break points (15.4), field goal percentage (52.6, 3rd), field goal percentage defense (39.1, 22nd), defensive rebounds per game (30.2, 6th), rebounds (42.9, 9th), scoring margin (23.6, 5th), scoring offense (91.4, 11th), three-point percentage defense (28.9, 21st), turnover margin (4.2, 20th), and turnovers (10.6). GU tops the nation in points in the paint averaging 48.4 per game, and has made 210 more twos than its opponents (Miami FL second at 142).
- Ike is fifth in the nation, and first in the WCC, with 10 double-doubles this season. Braden Huff is first in the country with 145 made field goals, and is sixth making 66.2 percent from the field (69.7% inside-the-arc). Braeden Smith tops the WCC, and is 12th in the nation, with a 3.70 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- In the win over Seattle, Huff became the fifth Zag on the roster to reach the 1,000-point club in his career.
- Ike eclipsed the 1,000 career rebound mark at Pepperdine. Only two players in West Coast Conference history achieved that feat, Bill Cartwright and Yoeli Childs. Ike had 382 of his 1,035 rebounds while at Wyoming.
- Ike tops the nation among active scorers in NCAA Div. 1 with 2,261 points, Indiana's Tucker DeVries is second at 2,225. Ike's 1,042 rebounds also ranks second among active players. He is the only active player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Ike was named preseason All-American by CBS Sports and ESPN, and to the NABC, Wooden, Lute Olson, and Naismith Player of the Year watch lists.
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SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- Washington State has won five of its last seven games, but is coming off an 88-82 setback at Saint Mary's Saturday. After trailing by as many 18 points, the Cougars pulled within two possessions on multiple occasions in the second half, cutting the deficit to three points with just over seven minutes to play. The Cougars were led by freshman Ace Glass with 24 points, his sixth-consecutive game in double figures and a conference-game high. ND Okafor finished with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Glass added a career-high six rebounds. Eemeli Yalaho rounded out the Cougs' double digit scorers with 12 points. Jerone Morton had a career-high nine assists. The Cougars shot 54 percent from the floor.
- Glass averages a team-high 15.9 points. Okafor adds 10.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. He's shooting 60.2 percent from the field. Yalaho chips in 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds as well.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 153rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Washington State.
- The Cougars have an 98-54 all-time lead.
- GU has won nine of the last 10 meetings, including each of the last seven.
- The Zags are 14-3 against WSU under Few.
- The Cougars last win in the series came in Pullman on Dec. 8, 2010, 81-59. Klay Thompson scored 24 points and had six assists for WSU, and the Cougars made 11-of-21 from three-point range. Sam Dower led GU with 11 points, while Rob Sacre grabbed 10 rebounds.
- Washington State has a 45-21 advantage in the series at home in Pullman.
- In the most recent matchup, in front of the first sellout crowd in Beasley Coliseum in 15 years, the Bulldogs picked up an 84-63 win in Pullman on Feb. 19. Nolan Hickman was one point off his career-high with 23 points, with four made three-pointers and five assists. Graham Ike added 17 points and 13 rebounds. Braden Huff had 11 points in 11 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
- Gonzaga won last season's meeting in Spokane, 88-75. Graham Ike had 21 points and seven rebounds. Nolan Hickman added 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Ben Gregg had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
- WSU has a 54-37 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, including games at the Spokane Arena.
- Gonzaga is 30-33 against the Cougars in games on the GU campus all-time, but the Zags have won five of the six matchups in the McCarthey Athletic Center, including the last 90-74 in 2013.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting with Washington State, 21-18, in Spokane on Dec. 16, 1907.
 
UP NEXT
- The 73rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Seattle University Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be played inside Climate Pledge Arena.
- The Redhawks have a 50-22 advantage in the series all-time, but the Zags won the first matchup this season, 15 days ago in Spokane, 80-72 in overtime. GU trailed by 13 points twice in the second half, but rallied for the win in the first meeting in 36 years with the in-state foe. Braden Huff, Graham Ike, and Tyon Grant-Foster combined for 71 points. Huff led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field. Ike had his ninth double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Grant-Foster had 19 points and five blocks. The Zags outscored Seattle 18-6 to close regulation.
- The programs met 44 times as independent programs, and five times as members of the West Coast Athletic Conference.
- Seattle won the first NCAA Div. 1 meeting 88-74, when the No. 16 Redhawks in Seattle's Civic Ice Arena on Jan. 10, 1952. The programs played four times that season, and GU upset the Seattle, 82-80, when it was ranked 11th in Spokane on Feb. 15, 1953.
 
IKE NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Ike finished one point shy of his career high with 34 points in Gonzaga's win over Santa Clara, though his 13 made shots from the field were a career best and the third most in the conference this season.
- Ike finished 13-for-17 from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, adding 11 rebounds, for his conference-leading 10th double-double of the season.
- This is Ike's third conference player of the week honor and the fifth for Gonzaga this season.
 
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
- Gonzaga is riding a 10-game win streak.
- The Zags have had at least 10 wins in-a-row in 17 seasons under Mark Few, but this would be the first since 2022-23.
 
ANOTHER 5-0 WCC START
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 in WCC play for the 11th time out of the last 12 seasons.
- With the exception of the 2022-23 season's 2-1 start to league play, GU has opened 5-0 in WCC play in each season since 2014-15.
 
BULLDOGS OFF TO GREAT START
- Gonzaga is off to its best start to a season since 2020-21, when the Bulldogs won every game (31-0) until the national championship loss to Baylor.
- This is also the fifth-best start in program history.
- Previously, the Zags have opened conference play with no losses or one loss in non-league action only six times.