What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after win vs. Oregon State
![Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4985,h_2804,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/gonzaga_nation/01jjrv12yd4d89s39n2t.jpg)
It's unlikely Gonzaga players will forget the emotions they experienced while watching Oregon State's students storm the court at Gill Coliseum as they celebrated a come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs in the first meeting between the schools in Corvallis, Oregon.
Perhaps the feeling of getting "punked," or the frustration of losing in overtime despite leading by five points with less than 6 minutes left to play in regulation were all the motivating factors the Zags (17-6, 7-2 WCC) needed in order to flip the script on the Beavers (16-7, 6-4 WCC) in the return game at the McCarthey Athletic Center Tuesday night.
Gonzaga overwhelmed Oregon State on both ends of the floor to come away with a triumphant 98-60 victory, marking the Bulldogs' first win over the Beavers since 1932.
Here's what Bulldogs head coach Mark Few had to say after the game.
Thoughts on Gonzaga's effort defensively:
"It was great. We were all over the place; played with great energy, great spirit, great fire. Guys were covering for each other. That was one of our better, if not our best, defensive effort of the year, relative to who we've played."
On the keys to holding Oregon State's leading scorer, Michael Rataj, in check for most of the night:
"I think he saw more bodies. Ben [Gregg] did a much better job sticking with [Rataj]. He's a heck of a player. He's capable of making really tough shots. I thought we guarded him well. Mike [Ajayi] was terrific tonight, it was great that he got rewarded to see some balls go in, because he's just been such a great guy through this whole kind of struggle that he's been in; and he's such a great teammate and works his tail off and just brings a smile every day. So it was just great. But I think he was a big key on [Rataj]. He guarded him well down at Corvallis too."
On Graham Ike's big night:
"He was great against a really, really physical front line. 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."
On Saturday's matchup at Saint Mary's:
"Just a huge challenge. I mean [with Saint Mary's] it's kind of rinse, lather, repeat. It's just the same. Anytime [Gaels coach Randy Bennet] has a point guard [Augustas Marciulionis] and his big [Mitchell Saxen] back, he can kind of fill in the spots. And they did a great job. They went out and got [ Paulius Murauskas] from Arizona. He's been really scoring the ball and rebounding the ball well. They've done a great job with development; Luke Barrett's scoring and shooting and gives you all those hustle plays and kind of those gritty plays."
"They're still playing the same way. I think they're 350th in pace of play. They know who they are and they don't beat themselves. 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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