Gonzaga shows 'great spirit' in dominant win vs. Oregon State: 3 takeaways
![Gonzaga senior forward Graham Ike. Gonzaga senior forward Graham Ike.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6756,h_3800,x_0,y_542/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/gonzaga_nation/01jjrvx2d3k5b01jtahs.jpg)
The Gonzaga men's basketball team blew past Oregon State in a wire-to-wire victory from the McCarthey Athletic Center on Tuesday night.
In a stark contrast of events compared to the first meeting down in Corvallis, Oregon, the Bulldogs (16-6, 7-2 WCC) stymied the Beavers for 40 minutes to come away victorious in a 98-60 final from the Kennel.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE ON DEFENSE
With the feeling of getting "punked" by Oregon State still fresh on Gonzaga's mind, there was certainly an extra sense of motivation to return the favor during round two in Spokane. Especially given the lackluster performance on the defensive end of the floor from Mark Few's team to allow the Beavers to hang 97 points and shoot 58.5% from the field in that first matchup on Jan. 16.
This time around, however, the Bulldogs proved to be much more alert defensively, as the Beavers went just 21-of-55 (38.2%) from the field and committed 13 turnovers that led to 23 points going the other way for the home team. Oregon State also recorded just nine assists, three shy of tying its season low and marking the just third time it had 10 or fewer assists in a game this season.
The Beavers' stagnant offense couldn't take off in large part because their leading scorer, Michael Rataj, was grounded by a slew of Gonzaga players for most of the night. The 6-foot-9 junior, who entered the matchup coming off a 30-point game against Santa Clara, had just seven points at halftime while being held scoreless for the final 11:39 of the first half.
Rataj's drought continued into the second half until a floater along the baseline with 15:13 left to play snapped his cold streak. A few more baskets in garbage time brought his point total up to 15, though for the most part, the efforts of Ben Gregg, Michael Ajayi and others to slow down the Beavers' No. 1 scoring option proved to be more effective than when Rataj scored a then-season-high 29 points in the first meeting.
"I think he saw more bodies," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of the difference in how the team defended Rataj. "Ben did a much better job sticking with him. He's a heck of a player. He's capable of making really tough shots. I thought we guarded him well. I think [Ajayi] was a big key on him. He guarded him well down at Corvallis too."
IKE ASSERTS HIMSELF EARLY AND OFTEN
Graham Ike made his return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench last Saturday in the team's win over Portland. Few had moved the 6-foot-9 All-WCC forward out of the first five momentarily due to his costly technical foul in the loss to Santa Clara, though the senior forward was back to his usual role against the Beavers.
It was all Ike for the first 6 minutes and change of the first half, as he scored 11 of the team's first 13 points and had 13 on 6-of-7 from the field by the time he checked out at the 13:30 mark. Ike chipped in nine more points to finish with 22 on 10-of-12 from the field. He also had seven rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals in 20 minutes of action.
"He was great against a really, really physical front line," Few said of Ike. "Those guys are big and they're physical, and they got a bunch of bodies they can throw at you. They cover down a lot so he even went through some double teams and was very forceful. He's special when he's like that."
Ike has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five contests and is putting up 19.0 points per game in WCC play.
ONTO SAINT MARY'S
One of the best rivalries in college basketball is set to renew Saturday in Moraga, California, where the Bulldogs will take on Saint Mary's (18-3, 8-0 WCC) in a clash of West Coast Conference titans.
The Gaels sit atop the league standings as the only unbeaten team left remaining in WCC play. Randy Bennett returned Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen from last season's NCAA Tournament squad, in addition to bringing in Arizona transfer Paulius Murauskas (13.3 points per game) and freshman guard Mikey Lewis (9.1 points).
"They know who they are and they don't beat themselves," Few said of the Gaels. "It's a great recipe and Randy's figured it out. I think people are figuring out he's one of the best coaches in college basketball. He's built a heck of a program down there, so it should be a great crowd and a great game just like it was last year and hopefully if we can play like this, it'll be a heck of a game."
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