Gonzaga beats Bucknell behind Graham Ike's big night: 3 takeaways
The Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-3) took care of business Saturday night in an 86-65 victory over the Bucknell Bison (4-8) at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
GET-RIGHT WEEK FOR IKE
Coming off a quiet 3-point performance in the Zags' loss to UConn at Madison Square Garden, Graham Ike capitalized off an opportunity to get back on track at home this week.
The 6-foot-9 forward led the way in the 21-point victory over the Bison on Saturday, scoring 25 points on an efficient 11-for-15 from the field. Ike also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his second double-double of the month (28 points, 10 rebounds vs. Kentucky). He's now finished with 20 or more points in three of his last four games after a 20-point, 6-rebound effort in the 102-72 win over Nicholls on Wednesday.
"Really simple, but just being forceful, man," Ike said of what worked for him against Bucknell. "Anytime I got the ball, even when I didn't get the ball, just being forceful and assertive. That's been the big thing for me this week; really, this whole year."
Ike was assertive out of the gate, scoring his team's first nine points to give the Bulldogs an early advantage. Likewise, his teammates were especially solid on both ends of the floor early on, a refreshing sight considering how the last two contests started out. Later in the first half, Ike stoked a 16-3 scoring run that helped the Bulldogs go out in front, 38-27, at halftime following a late surge from the Bison.
Some of Bucknell's unique zone looks on defense discouraged them from trying to enter the ball into the post, though that didn't stop Ike from having his way in the painted area. He also knocked down a few mid-range jumpers and one 3-pointer — his fourth of the season.
"Really just on the offensive end, taking what the defense gives me and then just being aware on defense, trying to be one step ahead, trying to bring over my film work to the live game, just so I could be prepared as much as possible," Ike said.
DEFENSE MAKES A STAND
The Bulldogs put the clamps down defensively from the get-go Saturday, forcing the Bison into 19 turnovers that led to 24 points the other way.
"I liked our defense tonight, especially in that first half, our numbers were really good," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "We were trying to get up and pressure the ball as best we could. By and large, I thought we did a nice job of that."
Gonzaga's perimeter players did their best to hound Josh Bascoe, Bucknell's leading scorer, especially early on in the first half. The senior guard had two points on 1-for-4 from the field at halftime before scoring a dozen points in the second half to boost his final total.
Williamson was also much less effective, as he tallied just four points on 2-for-6 from the floor in the second half. Coming out of the locker room, Bucknell went the first four minutes and change without scoring while the Bulldogs built a commanding 20-point lead before the 16-minute mark.
"Just making plays on defense," Nolan Hickman said of Gonzaga's effort on that end of the floor. "Coaches have been preaching that these past weeks, just making sure we are getting stops and deflecting the ball."
MOVING ON TO UCLA
Following the holiday break, the Bulldogs look to close out nonconference play on a high note when they travel down to Inglewood, California, for a matchup against UCLA (10-2) at the Intuit Dome on Dec. 28.
The Bruins entered Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic showdown against North Carolina as one of the hottest teams in the country, riding a 9-game winning streak into a matchup against a Tar Heels squad that hadn't come out of the gate strong to start 2024-25. Despite leading by as many as 16 points in the second half though, the Bruins collapsed down the stretch to fall 76-74 at Madison Square Garden.
Tyler Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 junior from Kennewick, Washington, leads UCLA in scoring at 15.1 points per game. He scored a season-high 26 points and went 5-for-6 from downtown in the loss to the Tar Heels. UCLA also had help from Sebastian Mack, who added 22 points.
Defensively, the Bruins rank top five in the country in efficiency and No. 1 in turnover rate, per KenPom.com.
"UCLA is playing really, really hard nose defense," Few said. "Keeping the scores down, turning guys over and so that's going to be, just a real physical challenge, much like the UConn game."
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