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Gonzaga Basketball

Graham Ike’s big night culminates with frustrating fouls in Gonzaga’s OT loss at Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Graham Ike delivered the biggest shot of his career at the most opportune time of Gonzaga’s overtime loss to Oregon State at Gill Coliseum.

The timing of Ike’s fourth and fifth fouls? Not quite as opportune for a Gonzaga team that spent the final two minutes of overtime with its top scorer watching on from the bench rather than having a say in how things played out on the floor in an eventual 97-89 loss.

“We’ll have to go back and watch them,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of the fouls given to Ike within 31 seconds of each other midway through the OT period. “No, he was great. Graham was terrific, he delivered time and time again in a high-level game against very good, physical, big post men.

“You’ve also got to guard at the other end, too. So again, our offense wasn’t the problem. Our defense was at pretty much all five spots.”

Ike scored a team-high 26 points and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with four seconds left in regulation to force overtime in the first meeting between Gonzaga and Oregon State since 1991.

Prior to that shot, Ike, the least likely candidate among GU’s starters to pull up for a 3-point shot with the game on the line, had only knocked down seven 3’s this season after making 10 through the first 80 games of his college career at Gonzaga and Wyoming.

Ike was left unguarded when he caught a pass from point guard Ryan Nembhard just left of the top of the arc. Ike hesitated before raising up to shoot, drilling his first 3-point attempt of the game to tie the game at 83-83.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13) hits a three with seconds left during the second half of a college basketball game against the Oregon State Beavers on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won the game 97-89 in overtime.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13) hits a three with seconds left during the second half of a college basketball game against the Oregon State Beavers on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won the game 97-89 in overtime. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

Oregon State’s Damarco Minor was blocked by Khalif Battle on a 3-point attempt at the other end of the floor as the time expired, guaranteeing another five minutes of play at Gill Coliseum.

“He was huge for us, that’s what he does,” Nembhard said of Ike. “We’ve just got to help him out. A lot of us struggled today offensively, so we’ve got to be better for him, especially down the stretch in those moments.”

Ike’s fourth foul came on the offensive end, at the 2-minute, 32-second mark of overtime, and the veteran forward fouled out on OSU’s next possession – the victim of a late whistle after he bumped Michael Rataj while vying for a defensive rebound.

The Beavers outscored the Bulldogs 8-2 after Ike went to the bench with his fifth foul.

The senior’s offensive production kept Gonzaga in front for much of the second half, when Ike scored 16 of his team-high 26 points. Ike, who finished 9 of 14 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line, was also a factor on the glass, hauling down nine rebounds in 37 minutes.

The All-WCC First Team selection has now scored at least 20 points in seven of his last 11 games and is averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in conference play.