Recap, analysis: Gonzaga thumps Alabama on the glass for signature win in Players Era Festival opener

Gonzaga sent a statement to the rest of the college basketball world Monday with a 95-85 victory over Alabama in the first round of the Players Era Festival.

The Bulldogs (6-0) struggled to find a rhythm early on but settled in behind a dominant outing from Graham Ike, who scored 10 consecutive points after missing his first six shots to flip the script in the first half.

The Zags led by three at the half despite some impressive shotmaking from Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon. The 6-foot-4 sophomore continued to be a thorn in Gonzaga's side after halftime but eventually fizzled out over the final 10 minutes of regulation, finishing with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field.

But as the source of the Tide's offense went dry over the final 9:51 of the second half, Gonzaga managed to tighten its grip down the stretch. A 17-3 scoring run made it a 12-point lead with just over 3 minutes remaining and effectively delivered the knockout punch, as Tyon Grant-Foster made big plays on both ends of the floor to keep the Tide at bay.

Grant-Foster and Ike each finished with 21 points. The former also had seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass as Gonzaga outrebounded Alabama, 48-36, and scored 25 second-chance points.

Braden Huff added 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Steele Venters chipped in 12 points and a season-high four 3-pointers, including a crucial trey to make it 82-74 with 3:44 remaining in regulation.

Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0). | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Gonzaga, which entered Monday yielding 57.8 points per game, hadn't seen anything like Alabama's pace in its first five games, as the Crimson Tide checked in at No. 6 on KenPom.com in adjusted tempo. Only one other team on the Zags' schedule (Texas Southern, No. 78 in tempo) ranked inside the top 100 in that category.

Alabama finished Monday with 10 fastbreak points and 9-of-29 from behind the 3-point line.

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Gonzaga 95, Alabama 85

2ND HALF

Gonzaga 88, Alabama 79 (1:02): Gonzaga's 17-3 scoring run made it a 12-point game with just under 3 minutes to play. Aden Holloway stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer, as the Tide looked to pressure the Zags into making mistakes in a last-ditch effort.

Gonzaga 84, Alabama 74 (3:22): Gonzaga's lead swelled to 10 off a 3-pointer from Steele Venters and an easy layup for Graham Ike following a turnover from the Tide.

Gonzaga 79, Alabama 74 (4:00): Tyon Grant-Foster knocked the ball out of Amari Allen's hands before putting down a two-hand dunk on the other end, pushing the Zags' lead back to five and extending the Tide's streak without a field goal to 3 minutes and counting. Alabama did enter the double bonus though after Steele Venters picked up his fourth foul on an out of bounds play.

Gonzaga 75, Alabama 72 (4:53): Gonzaga jumped back in front courtesy of a sweet alley-oop pass from Graham Ike to Tyon Grant-Foster, followed by a floater in the paint from Braden Huff off a dish from Mario Saint-Supéry. Ike made it a 4-point game with his sixth field goal of the night. The 6-foot-9 forward appeared to limp his way back up the floor but didn't come out of the game.

Alabama 71, Gonzaga 69 (6:58): Aden Holloway prompted a 30-second timeout from Gonzaga after drilling a corner 3-pointer to put Alabama back in front, marking the third lead change of the half.

Gonzaga 69, Alabama 67 (7:40): Fouls started racking up for both sides as the intensity ramped up heading down the stretch of the second half. Labaron Philon, who scored 16 of his team's first 25 points out of halftime, picked up his third personal foul with over 10 minutes left in regulation. Gonzaga, meanwhile, put the Tide in the bonus at the 7:40 mark following a loose-ball foul on Steele Venters.

Alabama 61, Gonzaga 60 (11:09): Gonzaga's offense struggled once Graham Ike hit the bench for a rest. Zags went without a basket for nearly 5 minutes and missed seven straight attempts as the Tide ripped off a 10-0 scoring run, capped off by a 3-pointer from London Jemison. Gonzaga subbed Ike and Mario Saint-Supéry back into the game at the under-12-minute timeout.

Gonzaga 60, Alabama 53 (14:14): Some stout defensive play from the Zags helped push their lead to nine, as Braden Huff converted on a nice pass in transition from Mario Saint-Supéry for his seventh field goal of the night. Labaron Philon and Adam Miller traded 3s before Keitenn Bristow made it a 7-point game again with a dunk off an errant pass from Saint-Supéry. Miller picked up his third foul prior to the media timeout.

Gonzaga 53, Alabama 48 (17:17): Labaron Philon continued to fuel the Tide, knocking down a turnaround jumper and tough floater out of the halftime break. Tyon Grant-Foster, meanwhile, couldn't be stopped on the offensive glass, out-hustling multiple Alabama players for a couple of second-chance scores to get the Zags going.

HALFTIME RECAP

Gonzaga 45, Alabama 42

Ike-Huff show: Gonzaga's frontcourt tandem overcame a slow start to take control down the stretch of the first half, combining for 16 of the Zags' 24 points over the final 7 minutes. Ike, who missed his first six attempts, settled in and scored 10 consecutive points during that flurry from the Bulldogs' left-handed duo. Braden Huff posted an efficient 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.

Alabama's offense grounded: The Tide's normally potent approach on offense never established a rhythm in the first half. Alabama, which came in averaging 11 makes from downtown per game, went 3-for-14 from 3-point land and only had two fastbreak points. Labaron Philon gave the Tide a spark in crucial moments with 13 points.

Zags own the glass: For how physical Alabama was playing in the paint, the Zags matched that intensity on the offensive glass. The Bulldogs had 11 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points.

1ST HALF

Alabama 36, Gonzaga 34 (3:30): Braden Huff's toughness on the offensive glass helped Gonzaga claim a brief lead before Labaron Philon drilled the Tide's second 3-pointer of the night, silencing the strong Gonzaga contingent that made the trip from Spokane to Las Vegas.

Alabama 33, Gonzaga 32, (4:12): Graham Ike's easy bucket of the night was an emphatic two-hand slam on a fastbreak opportunity for the Zags. Mario Saint-Supéry drew a foul on a 3-point attempt moments later but went 2-for-3 at the free-throw line.

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— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 25, 2025

Alabama 31, Gonzaga 28 (5:34): Timeout was called as Gonzaga challenged whether the ball went off Aden Holloway as he tried to go between his legs against Tyon Grant-Foster, but Mark Few and company were unsucessful. Meanwhile, Graham Ike continued to cook with four consecutive makes, including a contested midrange jumper over Aiden Sherrell

Alabama 27, Gonzaga 24 (7:22): A bad sequence for the Zags saw the Crimson Tide take a 6-point lead following back-to-back Gonzaga turnovers and an offensive rebound putback for a 3-point play from Keitenn Bristow. Bulldogs responded with a 3-pointer from Steele Venters, a sweeping layup from Tyon Grant-Foster and consecutive makes in the paint by Graham Ike. Ike had missed his first six field goal attempts of the game.

Alabama 17, Gonzaga 15 (11:08): Crimson Tide took away a lot of driving and passing lanes in the paint early on, but Gonzaga managed to carve out just enough wiggle room around the rim to keep pace with Alabama's run-and-gun offense. Zags outrebounded the Tide, 14-7 (including eight offensive rebounds) through the first 9 minutes though struggled to capitalize, shooting just 6-of-18 after missing 12 of their first 14 looks from the field.

Alabama 11, Gonzaga 9 (13:26): Braden Huff ended Gonzaga's scoring drought after 3 minutes without a bucket with a driving layup.

Alabama 9, Gonzaga 7 (15:27): Labaron Philon had his fingerprints all over the first 5 minutes and change, accounting for seven of his team's first nine points while knocking down the Tide's first 3-pointer of the game on a stepback over Graham Ike. Sophomore guard also snatched the ball away from Tyon Grant-Foster on a strong drive to the rim, but missed his ensuing 3-point attempt moments later.

Gonzaga 5, Alabama 6 (16:47): Tyon Grant-Foster had the Zags' first five points. The 6-foot-7 forward had a putback layup followed by a corner 3-pointer moments later. That was Grant-Foster's third 3-pointer of the season.

Alabama 2, Gonzaga 0 (19:40): Aiden Sherell put the first two points on the board with a thunderous two-hand slam off an assist from Labaron Philon.

PREGAME

Starters: Gonzaga trotted out Mario Saint-Supéry, Adam Miller, Tyon Grant-Foster, Braden Huff and Graham to start. Alabama went with Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, Houston Mallette, Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell

Bright lights. Big nights. pic.twitter.com/3BRz0qZkew
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 24, 2025