What Gonzaga's players said after win vs. San Diego State

Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike discussed the Bulldogs' win over the Aztecs

Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Graham Ike couldn't help but think about his first time visiting the Viejas Arena went down as he prepared for Monday's matchup between No. 3 Gonzaga and San Diego State.

The global pandemic made Ike's first trip to San Diego State an interesting one, as he and Wyoming prepared for back-to-back games against the Aztecs in their home gym during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Cowboys were throttled in both outings (87-57, 98-71) while Ike didn't particularly standout as a freshman, either. In fact he hadn't recorded a single win (0-5) over the Aztecs throughout his college basketball career, which of course includes last season's 84-74 loss to San Diego State in Spokane.

On the road in a hostile environment, Ike managed to put the past — and some early foul trouble — behind him to lead the Bulldogs (4-0) to an 80-67 victory over the Aztecs (2-1), as he scored 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half and went 9-of-11 from the free throw line to put the opposition away down the stretch.

"It's a feeling I haven't felt before," Ike said after the game. "I remember my last time I was here I got blown out by 20 twice back the back days playing baseball schedules and during COVID. So that's definitely been on my mind since I saw this game on a schedule. And it just feels great."

Ike and senior guard Ryan Nembhard combined to score 32 of Gonzaga's 40 second-half points. Nembhard was a maestro in the pick-and-roll, setting up shots for his teammates and himself with strong drives to the rim. He ended the night with 19 points and 10 assists.

Here's more from Ike and Nembhard following Gonzaga's win.

Ike on staying focused despite picking up two fouls in less than two minutes:

"just being mentally engaged while I'm not in. Seeing everything that's going on, continuing to talk and just stay positive, trying my best to stay engaged in the game and when I get back out there that I'll still be out there with everything in front of me."

Nembhard on how the Zags handled the Viejas Arena crowd:

"I thought we did a really good job actually. I felt like every time they came down and made a little run the crowd would get loud and we did a good job of staying composed and just trusting in our offensive sets."

Ike on Braden Huff's ability to step up off the bench and contribute:

"It's huge man, B-Huff's my guy through thick and thin and I know if I fall short, he'll have my back and vice-versa. We know this. We saw that against Arizona State. And then vice-versa we see that tonight. It's a 1-2 punch combo with me and him and you're not getting a break when he subs into the game."

Nembhard on Ike's big performance in the second half:

"Amazing. Big-time. I told him, that's what we need from him every night. That's just who he is, he's an All-American type of player ... we know what he does, we're gonna trust him, keep throwing it to him down there and he's gonna deliver."

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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