NCAA basketball

The conference-leading Idaho women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to eight games, dispatching Big Sky also-ran Montana 89-65 on Saturday afternoon at ICCU Arena in Moscow.

The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team took a revitalizing road trip to Montana. Suddenly, the Eagles’ season has new life.

PULLMAN – Santa Clara pulled away from sticky Washington State with a 21-11 run over the opening 7:15 of the second half, and though the Broncos never got a comfortable edge, they held off the Cougars the rest of the way in a 96-92 victory to improve to 21-5, 12-1 in the West Coast Conference. WSU slipped to 11-15, 6-7.

Graham Ike ties his career-high with 35 points in No. 6 Gonzaga's win.

Graham Ike’s broad shoulders carried the Zags' offense again. The 6-foot-9 senior forward scored at all three levels operating against a wave of OSU big men – 6-11 Johan Munch, 7-2 Noah Amenhauser, 6-11 Jorge Diaz Graham and 6-11 Yaak Yaak – as well as several zone defenses.

Graham Ike hadn’t played 39 minutes since transferring to Gonzaga in 2023-24. Ike hadn’t scored 35 points in a game since his 2021-22 season at Wyoming. Before Gonzaga's trip to Oregon State, the forward had made 13 shots just one other time in his career.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The transfer portal carousel started spinning and never stopped for Oregon State this offseason.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gonzaga’s next road test never projected as a game Mark Few’s team would overlook. Not against an Oregon State team that snatched a 97-89 overtime victory the last time Gonzaga visited Gill Coliseum.

SAN DIEGO – Washington State’s women’s basketball team protected a narrow lead throughout the second half to earn a hard-fought West Coast Conference win, holding on for an 80-76 decision on Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

So much for the Gonzaga and Oregon State women’s basketball teams following what had become a tightly played script the last two years.

The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team had its most efficient shooting night in two months and claimed perhaps its most impressive win of the season, completing a season sweep of one of the conference’s top teams.

There’s a new front-runner in the Big Sky Conference.

Gonzaga players may not have been in the mood for individual honors and accolades one day after a stunning 87-80 upset loss at Portland, but senior forward Graham Ike was still recognized as one of 10 midseason candidates for the Karl Malone Award.

PORTLAND – Ten seconds before Portland grabbed its biggest lead of Wednesday’s game against No. 6 Gonzaga, guard Sam Noland went to the scorers table to check in for the Pilots.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – When Washington State guard Ace Glass knocked down a 3-pointer about three minutes into the second half, everything seemed to be going right for the Cougars.

PORTLAND – The push notification landed from ESPN’s mobile app with 13 minutes remaining in the second half. Sixth-ranked Gonzaga trailed Portland by nine points at the Chiles Center. The Zags’ top-10 ranking was on the line, an unbeaten run through the West Coast Conference was in jeopardy and a top-three seed at the NCAA Tournament was starting to look questionable at best.

PORTLAND – One-loss Gonzaga had big plans for the next two to three months.

College basketball in February means conferences are headed down the homestretch of the regular season.

Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 87-80 road loss to Portland on Wednesday at the Chiles Center.