Doesn’t get much better than posts Gonzaga’s Graham Ike and Mitchell Saxen dishing out bruises. Or GU’s Ben Gregg facing Arizona transfer Paulius Murauskas, who has nine double-doubles. All worthy candidates, but the nod here goes to the two best point guards in the West Coast Conference: Gonzaga assists machine Ryan Nembhard and Saint Mary’s counterpart Augustas Marciulionis, the reigning WCC player of the year and conference tournament most outstanding player.
Two weeks ago, Elle Tinkle Jones took in Oregon State’s thrilling 97-89 overtime victory against Gonzaga from a padded seat just a few inches from the court at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have had so many memorable showdowns, which stands to reason since one – GU 17 solo regular-season titles – or the other – SMC two solo – or both (three co-championships) have earned West Coast Conference titles since the 2002-03 season. The Zags and Gaels have finished in the top two, typically in that order, 12 of the last 13 years.
It might take another college basketball player four years to undergo the range of experiences and emotional swings Graham Ike packaged into Gonzaga’s past four games. The chronological recap begins Jan. 16 against Oregon State when Ike, as part of …
Gonzaga players may not have been around for a decades-long run of futility against Oregon State – a stretch where the Bulldogs accumulated just two victories compared to 25 losses over 80 years – but all were on hand 12 days ago in Corvallis when the Beavers erased a late six-point deficit and rallied for an upset win in overtime, sending hundreds of zealous students onto the hardwood floor at Gill Coliseum.
Graham Ike, whose game-tying 3-pointer eventually became a footnote in the first meeting between the schools, landed a handful of early jabs, Khalif Battle broke out of a two-game scoring slump and the Zags showed the defensive resolve that was missing two weeks ago, thumping OSU 98-60 for their first win over the Beavers since 1932.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs mixed up their starting lineup in a big win over Portland last Saturday. Will GU stick with the same lineup this week in games against Oregon State (Tuesday) and Saint Mary's (Saturday)? The latest Zags Basketball Insiders …
After giving up 200 points in two losses, including 97 in overtime to Oregon State, Gonzaga responded by holding Portland to 62 points and the Beavers to 60 in Tuesday’s rematch. The Zags’ defense against OSU was sharper across the board, spurring a 98-60 rout in front of a loud audience at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Here are three observations from Gonzaga’s 98-60 win over Oregon State on Tuesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Innocenti stays in starting five Graham Ike returned to the starting lineup after a one-game absence and Emmanuel Innocenti remained in the …
Over the last two weeks, Gonzaga players and coaches have used a variety of words to characterize recent performances that haven’t matched up to the program’s lofty standards. “Dead.” “Embarrassed.” “Super frustrating.” Senior forward Ben Gregg pulled out another term …
After Oregon State hung 97 points on Gonzaga during an overtime victory two weeks ago at Gill Coliseum, there probably isn’t a matchup the Bulldogs can afford to ignore Tuesday evening when the teams meet again at McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country – a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big …
Former Gonzaga basketball star Julian Strawther is not unlike a lot of NBA players who remember the biggest difference between their first season and their second. After a rookie season in Denver where he averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 rebounds over 50 games, the former Zag likes where he’s at midway through his sophomore campaign as a Nugget.
A resounding road win against Portland wasn’t enough to push Gonzaga back into the Associated Press Top 25, but the 105-62 victory helped the Bulldogs make up some of the ground they’d lost in the NCAA’s NET rankings after consecutive losses in West Coast Conference play.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few weighed the question about a pair of changes to the starting lineup and if he got what he wanted from those adjustments. “Listen, two totally separate things,” Few said shortly after the Zags dismantled Portland 105-62 on Saturday at the Chiles Center to snap a two-game West Coast Conference losing streak.
Here are three observations from Gonzaga’s 105-62 West Coast Conference victory over Portland on Saturday at the Chiles Center. New-look lineup Mark Few didn’t specify what changes could be in store for Gonzaga after a second consecutive WCC loss last …
A group of photograph hunters and autograph seekers assembled inside a hallway at the Chiles Center, picking off Gonzaga players one by one as they made their way to the team bus after a 105-62 victory over Portland on Saturday night.
Ben Gregg didn’t miss a shot while pouring in a career-high tying 24 points, Ryan Nembhard had double-digit assists for the 13th time this season as the Zags routed Portland Saturday at the Chiles Center.
Every player had an opportunity to voice their opinion, and Ryan Nembhard didn’t mince words. “It was a tough week las week,” senior forward Michael Ajayi said. “We were all just talking as a group, as a team, and Ryan was like, ‘Hey man, ain’t no more talking, just action.’ That’s what we did (Saturday night).
