Graham Ike leads Gonzaga to big Quad 1 road victory over USF Dons

Bulldogs outscored Dons 51-34 in the second half to clinch a top-two seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament

Early on, the rematch between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and San Francisco Dons at the Chase Center on Thursday strongly resembled the first matchup between the West Coast Conference heavyweights in Spokane on Jan. 25.

In that game, San Francisco hung around in the first half and even led at the halftime break by one point, before a 19-3 scoring run from Gonzaga midway through the second half changed the complexion of the ballgame and ended up being enough momentum to hold off a furious late rally from the Dons. The Bulldogs escaped free-throw woes to come out victorious, 77-72.

Thursday's game in San Francisco was trending toward a similar outcome, as the Dons led the Bulldogs for much of the first half behind hot shooting from backcourt duo Malik Thomas and Marcus Williams. Jonathan Mogbo was a problem down low for any Gonzaga player not named Graham Ike. Gonzaga trailed until Anton Watson's turnaround hook shot in the final seconds of the half made it 35-34 at the break.

Then in the blink of an eye, the rock fight between two of the league's top three teams turned into a blowout.

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Gonzaga couldn't miss coming out of the locker room, as it made 12 of its first 13 field goal attempts to fuel a 24-3 scoring run before the midway point in the second half. The Dons couldn't slow Ike, who finished with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting, and struggled to stay in front of Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman on the perimeter. The backcourt tandem combined for 28 points in the second half.

San Francisco went ice cold from the field after halftime, missing 15 of its first 16 shots and never getting into a rhythm until it was too late. Mogbo finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga's win.

IKE STATES CASE FOR WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ike might be considered the frontrunner to win the WCC Player of the Year award after posting his sixth-consecutive 20-point game (14th of the season overall) in an efficient fashion.

Gonzaga's 6-foot-9 post posed quite the challenge defensively for San Francisco. The Bulldogs took advantage of late rotations on double-teams with swift ball movement and timely cuts from guys on the perimeter, while single coverage was essentially a guaranteed bucket for Ike. Even at 7-foot-2, Volodymyr Markovetsky was no match against Ike, nor was Mogbo or Ndwedo Newbury on the low block.

Ike set the tone early with a handful of run-outs in transition that resulted in a few quick fouls on the out-of-position Dons. Much like the first matchup in Spokane, Ike took care of business at the charity stripe with a perfect 8-for-8 showing.

Ike's latest masterclass performance surely put him in prime contention to take home the WCC Player of the Year honor. Mogbo was in that conversation earlier in the season when he racked up double-double after double-double, though his sub-par play in the Dons' four losses to Gonzaga and Saint Mary's won't be viewed lightly. Saint Mary's guards Augustus Marciulionis and Aidan Mahaney each have a case as the best players on the No. 1 team in the WCC, but Ike has been head and shoulders above the field in terms of production.

In WCC games, Ike leads the league in scoring (18.1 points per game) and is third in field goal percentage at 65.1%, which trails only Mogbo and Watson. Per KenPom, he's top fifth in effective field goal percentage (65.4%,) and No. 1 in true-shooting percentage (68.8%,). Not only is Ike putting up monster numbers, he's doing it at an unreal efficiency on one of the hottest team's in the country.

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME

Few teams in college basketball are executing at the rate that the Bulldogs are heading into the month of March.

Since it lost to Saint Mary's at The Kennel on Feb. 3, Gonzaga has the third-highest offensive efficiency rating in the country per Bart Torvik. During its seven-game win streak, the Zags have posted the best effective field goal percentage (62.9%) and the second-best 2-point field goal percentage (64.3%). Ike's dominant play in the paint has had a lot to do with the latest offensive outburst, but it's certainly been a group effort as of late.

Hickman has been locked in as a legitimate multi-level scorer. The junior is averaging 18.3 points on 52.5% shooting from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range, including a stretch of four-straight games with four or more triples that was snapped Thursday. His ability to make the right reads off pick-and-rolls and off-ball screens has Gonzaga's offense flowing much more smoothly compared to earlier this season.

Ryan Nembhard has done a little bit of everything during the Bulldogs' winning streak, highlighted by his superb playmaking and ability to create offense on the fly. The junior has four straight games with at least eight points, five assists and five rebounds. 

Ben Gregg has made up for a lack of counting numbers with sheer will and energy, which has proven to be a difference maker over the last 13 games as a starter (Gonzaga is 12-1 in those games). Watson has been as consistent as ever on both ends of the floor. The squad is peaking at the right time and has a lot of momentum heading into the WCCC regular-season finale against Saint Mary's.

ON TO SAINT MARY'S

As Gonzaga could start thinking about its massive date at Moraga, California, about midway through the second half Thursday, the Gaels clinched the league's regular season title with an 83-57 win over Pepperdine.

With the win, No. 17 Saint Mary's (24-6, 15-0 WCC) has a chance to become the WCC's first non-Gonzaga team to finish undefeated in league play since Pepperdine in the 1991-92 season with a win over the Zags on Saturday. The Gaels are riding a 16-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the country, and have won 21 of their last 22 games since a 3-5 start to the season. In that stretch, only two opponents have managed to score 70 points against the WCC's best defensive team in terms of efficiency.

Though the Bulldogs are locked into the No. 2 spot for the WCC Tournament regardless of Saturday's outcome, they can still improve their at-large NCAA Tournament chances with another Quad 1 opportunity. Gonzaga is 2-5 in Q1 games and 2-1 in Quad 2 games without a loss in the other two quadrants (18-0). A third Q1 win would all but solidify its at-large chances of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament before the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.

A loss to the Gaels wouldn't knock the Bulldogs out of the projected field, though it would put even more importance on winning the conference tournament to secure the automatic bid.

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