What Gonzaga's players said after win vs. Oregon State
![Gonzaga Bulldogs senior forward Michael Ajayi. Gonzaga Bulldogs senior forward Michael Ajayi.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4679,h_2631,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/gonzaga_nation/01jjrmmxvghx8dvspbkg.jpg)
The Gonzaga men's basketball team was well on its way to a blowout win over Oregon State when senior forward Michael Ajayi decided to make it rain even more from 3-point land.
Ajayi entered Tuesday's contest against the Beavers shooting just 20% from distance on the season, though that didn't stop the 6-foot-7 forward from letting it fly during the second half of the Bulldogs' 98-60 win from the McCarthey Athletic Center.
After crashing the glass for one of his four offensive rebounds on the night, Ajayi cashed in the second-chance opportunity himself with a 3-pointer right in front of his bench to make it 67-41 with just under 14 minutes left in the second half. Moments later, another open jumper from long distance, this one to make it a 29-point game with 12:55 left in regulation.
Ajayi finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field, including those pair of 3-pointers, and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double in a Gonzaga uniform.
"Mike [Ajayi] was terrific tonight," Gonzaga's Mark Few said after the game. "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."
Graham Ike played a key role against the Beavers once again with 22 points on 10-of-12 from the field, plus seven rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.
Here's what Ike and Ajayi had to say about Gonzaga's big win over Oregon State.
Ike on Gonzaga's level of motivation to beat the Beavers after losing the first matchup:
"Even before we stepped out onto the floor, just the week of preparation. Just getting more stops, playing hard, just playing together; and that's what we did tonight. I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of what we did tonight and I just look forward to keep it going."
Ajayi on his impressive putback layup during the first half:
"I just threw it up there because I knew I was going to get fouled. I felt like when I got the board he pushed me a little bit, so I just threw it up there and you know, the basketball gods awarded me for sure."
Ike on Gonzaga's improvement defensively compared to the first game vs. Oregon State:
"Night and day difference. We played real team defense tonight versus the other night where we were a little more on the island in Corvallis. Tonight everybody had each other's back. [There] was one possession in the first half where everybody was just flying around. Everybody was flying, switching, rotating, and I was like yeah, that's what our defense is. And it was great to really see that and feel that."
Ajayi on defending Oregon State's leading scorer, Michael Rataj:
"Just staying on him, pressuring him on the ball, not letting him go right, forcing him left and just box him out on boards and just get in and be physical. So that's what I did"
Ike on Saturday's matchup at Saint Mary's:
"It's fun, man, every single time we get to play a physical matchup, especially against those guys because we know what it means to us in the culture here at Gonzaga. Just another matchup we look forward to. It's gonna be a great week of practice leading up to it. I'm sure [the coaches will] give us a great plan, as they always do, and we must take that on with the right mentality and go in there and look it. Yeah, play our best and win this game."
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