Recap and highlights: No. 8 Gonzaga pulls away late to beat No. 25 UCLA 82-72

Fortunately for eighth-ranked Gonzaga, the ending provided something different than what fans had become accustomed to watching the Zags at Climate Pledge Arena.

After losses to Alabama, UConn and Kentucky, Gonzaga finally shook out of its Climate Pledge curse, picking up an 82-72 win over UCLA in downtown Seattle to extend the all-time series lead to 8-3 against the Bruins.

As Gonzaga’s longest-tenured players, Graham Ike and Braden Huff had been involved in two of the team’s three losses at the 18,300-seat venue, and therefore felt those setbacks deeper than most. The program’s Climate Pledge history didn’t seem lost on Mark Few’s frontcourt tandem Saturday against UCLA.

Ike, who’s played at an All-American-level in virtually every game for Gonzaga this season outside of a Players Era Festival loss to Michigan, delivered 25 points on 9 of 16 shooting, 1 of 2 from the 3-point line and 6 of 9 from the free throw line.

Huff was determined to avenge Gonzaga’s previous losses in Seattle, but probably also last year’s game against UCLA, when he scored just two points on 1 of 6 shooting in a three-point loss to the Bruins.

UCLA probably anticipated a different version of Huff this season, considering the junior had reached double digits in all 10 games leading up to Saturday. Huff delivered arguably his best game of the year, scoring 21 points against the Bruins, knocking down just his third 3-poitner of the season while making 7 of 12 shots from the field.

The Zags couldn’t afford to have both bigs not playing well in a game that saw UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau, a Kamiakin High School graduate, post 24 points – his third-highest total in a Bruins uniform – on 7 of 13 from the field, 4 of 6 from the 3-point line and 6 of 7 from the free throw line.

Gonzaga led the majority of the game, but UCLA erased an eight-point deficit in the second half and briefly went back ahead on Donovan Dent’s transition layup. There were nine total lead changes, but the Zags went ahead for good when Adam Miller and Braeden Smith hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions with just under 11 minutes to play.

In a game that was close up until the final five minutes, Gonzaga and UCLA more or less matched each other from the field, with the Zags making 28 of 56 (50%) and the Bruins making 25 of 51 (49%).

Ike opened the game with seven consecutive points for Gonzaga, punctuating his first-half scoring efforts with a powerful one-handed dunk over UCLA frontcourt starters Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey Jr.

Outside of Ike and Huff, freshman point guard Mario Saint-Supery was the only other GU player to reach double figures, totaling 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.

Dent had a 12-point, 10-assist double-double for the Bruins, who also got 12 points and five rebounds from Xavier Booker.

The Gonzaga senior had 11 points through the first eight minutes before giving way to Huff, who was the only player in a Zags uniform to score for a 4-minute, 38-second window late in the first half. Huff had 12 straight GU points during the stretch, but the Zags couldn’t withstand multiple blows from Bilodeau and only led by five points at halftime.

The Zags (10-1) continue nonconference play on Wednesday against Campbell (4-5). Tipoff at McCarthey Athletic Center is set for 6 p.m. (KHQ).