Gonzaga’s Graham Ike battles through slow start, foul trouble to finish with 20 points, 9 boards

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State tested Graham Ike’s patience and physicality.

He passed with high marks, showcasing the growth in his game and mindset in his third year in the program.

Gonzaga’s senior forward didn’t take a shot or score in the first 10-plus minutes, but he stayed the course and produced another highly efficient performance with 20 points and nine rebounds to spark the Zags’ 77-65 win over the Sun Devils on Friday at Desert Financial Arena.

“It’s like a boxing match,” Ike said with the clock approaching midnight local time. “You’re not going to get the knockout in the first, second or third round. You just have to stay with it, just keep making the right plays on both ends of the floor and it’ll come.

“I want to give kudos to the team for sticking with it, fighting through adversity and coming out with the W.”

The 6-foot-9 Ike scored 11 points in the last 9:25 of the first half as GU rallied to build a 45-32 halftime advantage.

Ike endured another slow start in the second half. He had a turnover and picked up two fouls, his second and third of the game, in the first 3 minutes and 15 seconds and went to the bench.

He returned about two minutes later and helped the Zags keep their composure when Arizona State pulled within five points and got the home crowd back into the game.

Ike hit five free throws, restoring GU’s lead to 57-45.

“He made big plays in both halves,” Zags coach Mark Few said.

Ike lived at the foul line, connecting on 12 of 15 free throws overall. Ike made 80.5% at the line last season and he’s at 80% early in his senior year.

“I shoot 50 a day,” Ike said of his practice routine.

Ike remained effective at both ends of the court, despite being in foul trouble. He didn’t pick up another foul until the closing seconds. He logged a season-high 34-plus minutes. He only surpassed that twice last season when he played 37 minutes against Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and 35 versus Kentucky.

“Just not think about it (foul issues), adjust to the game,” Ike said. “We know they were calling fouls a lot in the first half. Just trying to still be physical but legal.”

Ike couldn’t take time off at the defensive end. His assignment was ASU freshman Massamba Diop, a mobile 7-1 forward who came in averaging a team-high 16 points per game.

Diop scored just two points in the opening half and finished with 11. He made 4 of 10 shots.

“We were both leaning (on each other) back and forth,” Ike said. “It’s a great physical matchup. I tried to be one step ahead of him, see if I could get him to jump on some pump-fakes, try to get him into foul trouble early. It was a fun matchup.”