Gonzaga dominates on the glass in season opening win over Texas Southern

Gonzaga won their 22nd consecutive season opener under coach Mark Few

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Erik Smith

The Gonzaga Bulldogs took a while to get going on Monday, but the frontcourt ultimately found their groove and carried Mark Few's team to a comfortable 98-43 win over Texas Southern in Spokane.

The win marked 22 consecutive victories to open up the season for coach Few, and gives the Zags a little momentum - and a little to work on - before the team's next game against SEC foe Oklahoma at the Spokane Arena on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Gonzaga got off to an incredibly slow start offensively, missing seven of their first eight field goal attempts and heading into the first media timeout down 7-5.

However, the team eventually got going offensively - closing the half making 11 of their final 19 shots to head into the locker room with a 46-27 lead.

As expected, it was Gonzaga's star frontcourt duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff that got things going for the Zags.

Ike began the game 0-5, including some shots at the rim he almost never misses, but after returning to the floor following a breather, the 6'9 big man was back to form, finishing the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds on 5-11 shooting, along with four assists.

Huff had a big game as well, playing well away from the rim at times but also imposing his will down low while finishing with 14 points on 6-8 shooting, along with five rebounds and two assists.

Even Jalen Warley got into the action as Gonzaga's third big man. Warley - who has mostly played as a guard in his college career - is right at home as GU's small ball four, giving the team more switchability on the perimeter. He had two great steals while jumping ball screens, one of which led to his first points in a Zag uniform on a breakaway dunk. While foul trouble limited his overall performance, he still finished with eight points and four steals while shooting 3-4 from the field.

Gonzaga also got a great performance from Tyon Grant-Foster, who started for the first time in a Zag uniform and brought infectious energy on both sides of the ball. He relentlessly attacked the rim all game long, getting to the free throw line a team-leading five times and finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and a steal while shooting 5-7 from the field.

All told, Gonzaga's win was secured by a massive 56-27 rebounding advantage as well as 17 forced turnovers and 22 points in transition.

Despite the easy win, there were plenty of challenges for Gonzaga in this one, although most were typical early-season struggles: trying to do too much, miscommunicating with teammates, and generally looking like a team that hasn't quite found its groove yet.

Of course, coach Few's team doesn't really have much time to ease into action, with a dangerous Oklahoma team awaiting the Zags on Saturday followed by a matchup with No. 23-ranked Creighton on Tuesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

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