Graham Ike, Gonzaga cruise past Portland for fifth-straight win: 'We're glad to keep this thing rolling'

Ike leads the Bulldogs past the Pilots with 20 points and 14 rebounds

Not much stood in the way of the Gonzaga Bulldogs en route to an 86-65 victory over the Portland Pilots on Thursday.

Gonzaga (21-6, 11-2 WCC) led by double digits for much of the night behind a balanced approach offensively, as the Zags recorded 21 assists on 35 made field goals and had four players finish in double figures in scoring, led by Graham Ike's 20 points and 14 rebounds. 

Coming off a perfect 9-for-9 against Pacific, Ike wasn't quite as efficient in Portland with a 9-for-14 showing — but it was certainly enough to get the job done.

"It wasn't falling like I wanted to, or like last game," Ike joked with Dan Dickau after the game. "But hey, good to come out with a win. Great team effort from everybody and we're glad to keep this thing rolling."

Nolan Hickman had another strong performance with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor with four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Anton Watson and Ben Gregg had 13 points apiece while Ryan Nembhard stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists without committing a turnover.

For the Pilots (9-20, 3-11 WCC), Tyler Robertson paced with 18 points and knocked down five triples in the team's fifth-straight defeat. Portland cut its deficit to single digits after a putback dunk from freshman Tyler Harris, making it 30-21 with 5:58 left in the first half, though that would be the closest the Pilots would get. Portland shot 37.1% from the field and committed a season-low two turnovers.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

IKE KEEPS IT ROLLING

After an inconsistent start to the season, Gonzaga's 6-foot-9 post has certainly taken on the responsibility of being the team's No. 1 option on offense as of late. A dominant night against Portland saw Ike cross the 20-point threshold for the fourth-straight game and the seventh time in the last nine outings overall. He's making around 9.8 field goals per game in that stretch (6.0 field goals made on average in the first 22 games this season) and is attempting 14.8 shots over the last two weeks (9.9 prior to that).

On top of putting the ball in the basket more consistently, Ike has hurt teams that decide to double-team him on the low block. Portland didn't waste time trying to force the ball out of his hands with two defenders barely two minutes into Thursday's game. Ike responded by hitting an open Ben Gregg for a 3-pointer. Later, Ike connected with Gregg again on the opposite side of the floor for a cutting two-pointer.

With three other double-digit scorers on the floor, Ike has quite the selection of help to choose from in a pinch.

"It makes the reads so much easier," Ike said. "Especially when guys are able to make shots and make the right play. And if you don't double it's two points, so it's like pick your poison."

If Ike can continue to punish opponents in a variety of ways, the Bulldogs will be in quite the groove entering the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas. A pivotal three-game stretch to close the WCC regular season begins Saturday in the final home game of the season against Santa Clara. The Broncos beat Gonzaga 77-76 in a game Ike fouled out after 17 minutes and had five points.

"We just got to rebound and play harder and play more solid, more connected," Ike said. "And we've been doing that. [The first matchup against the Broncos] was one of our early games in conference and we've grown a lot since then and we're ready to show that."

HICKMAN LIGHTS IT UP FROM DEEP AGAIN

Along with Ike, Hickman has asserted himself offensively as of late - especially from behind the arc. After knocking down four of his eight 3-point attempts against Portland, Hickman became the first Gonzaga player since Corey Kispert in the 2020-21 season to make at least four triples in three straight games. Hickman has six such games this season and has made at least three 3-pointers in nine of the past 11 games.

Inside the arc, the junior has been deadly in the paint coming off the same pick-and-roll set Gonzaga has gone to frequently over the years. The Bulldogs ran the same off-ball screen with Hickman and Ike that essentially turned into a pick-and-roll set on the first two possessions against Portland. The first resulted in a lob to Ike, the second a floater from Hickman in the lane. 

Gonzaga used to run that same play for Kispert, Julian Strawther and other versatile scorers who could attack downhill and make the right play in traffic. Hickman has thrived in that off-ball role lately while still maintaining his confidence as a catch-and-shoot threat from just about anywhere behind the arc,

That's the type of Hickman the Bulldogs will need against the Broncos, Dons and Gaels to end the regular season.

FRESHMEN LEAVE AN IMPACT

Aside from Braden Huff, the Bulldogs hadn't seen a lot of offensive production (or time on the court for that matter) from their first-year players. Dusty Stromer hadn't seen a shot fall since the first matchup against Portland two weeks ago, while Luka Krajnovic was still finding his way back into the rotation after recovering from a broken hand injury suffered in December.

Consider Thursday a refresher for both freshmen guards, as Stromer finished with seven points, two of which came on an impressive putback layup, while Krajnovic gave the Bulldogs a good stretch late in the first half on the defensive end of the floor. The 6-foot-5 Croatian hustled back after a Gonzaga turnover to prevent an easy two for Chris Austin with a strong, vertical contest to knock the ball out of bounds. The next play, Krajnovic ripped down a defensive rebound to start a fastbreak the other way, leading to a 3-pointer for Hickman.

Stromer had plenty of hustle moments himself with four rebounds, two of which were on the offensive side of the floor. A few miscues defensively aside, the 6-foot-6 wing positively impacted the game with his energy and willingness to compete on the glass on both ends.

Andrew Nembhard thinks the Zags will 'make some noise' in the 2024 NCAA Tournament: 'None of these teams want to see Gonzaga in the first round'

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