Graham Ike powers Gonzaga to bounce-back win vs. Oregon State

Bulldogs ride their leading scorer to 20-point win over the Beavers

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) dunks the ball over Oregon State Beavers center Noah Amenhauser (40) during the first half at Gill Coliseum. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Graham Ike furthered his case for earning All-America honors at the end of the season Saturday with a 35-point performance against Oregon State, tying his career-high while leading Gonzaga to a bounce-back win following its upset loss to Portland earlier in the week.

Ike's third 30-point game since the start of January fueled the Bulldogs (23-2, 11-1 West Coast Conference) to an 81-65 victory over the Beavers (13-13, 6-7 WCC).

Here's how Saturday's contest at Gill Coliseum played out.

Paint Production

After struggling to generate consistent offense inside the arc against Portland earlier in the week, Gonzaga made a point to get the ball into the post early and often on Saturday.

The Zags, who came into the game leading the nation in paint points (47.1 per game), showed why they were the country's most productive offense around the rim Saturday with 50 paint points against the Beavers.

Feb 7, 2026; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) looks to pass the ball against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Gill Coliseum. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon State tried to tempt Gonzaga into outside shots with a 2-3 zone defense, but that didn't stop the Zags from working the ball into the painted area. Whether it was Tyon Grant-Foster using his athleticism to get to the rim or Ike's pick-and-rolls opening up space for cutters along the baseline, the Zags had an answer for just about every one of the Beavers' defensive schemes.

As one would expect, Ike was the key to Gonzaga's success in the paint. Coming off his 24-point, 10-rebound effort against Portland, the All-America candidate delivered another impressive stat line Saturday: 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, a block and a steal in 39 minutes.

Zags Withstand Hot Start From Beavers

Gonzaga righting the wrongs of the Portland loss required a much more concerted effort on the defensive end of the floor, where the Zags put up very little resistance as the Pilots shot 59.3% from the floor and got virtually any look they wanted in the pick-and-roll.

One would've thought facing the WCC's worst scoring offense would help the Zags get back on track defensively, but that wasn't the case through 20 minutes of play Saturday. The Beavers were able to generate solid looks around the rim with penetration from the perimeter and managed to keep things close with some hot shooting from beyond the arc, where they made five of their first seven looks in the first half.

Feb 7, 2026; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Wayne Tinkle reacts to a play during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Gill Coliseum. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon State, which shot 12-of-22 from the field to start, managed to hang neck-and-neck for a few minutes in the second half but eventually ran out of steam down the stretch.

Controlling The Tempo

The week prior, Gonzaga proved it can still play its brand of basketball against a slower-paced, more methodical Saint Mary's squad.

The Beavers aren't as efficient as the Gaels, though Wayne Tinkle's squad has a similar approach to Randy Bennett's group offensively. Like Saint Mary's, Oregon State likes to control the pace (it ranked No. 276 nationally in tempo going into Saturday) and create contact through physicality (No. 1 in the WCC in free-throw attempts going in).

Feb 7, 2026; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Adam Miller (23) shoots the ball over Oregon State Beavers forward Olavi Suutela (37) during the first half at Gill Coliseum. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

As such, Gonzaga spent the majority of Saturday's contest running its half-court offense. For the most part, the Zags executed their sets and generated solid looks; they shot 57.1% from the field, had 20 assists to two turnovers and scored an efficient 1.5 points per possession.

On the other end, the Zags had to defend the Beavers for up to 30 seconds on any given possession. The tempo didn't really play into Gonzaga's philosophy of playing fast, especially with how Oregon State managed to apply foul pressure — in addition to its outside shooting. The Beavers went 13-of-18 at the free-throw line and shot 10-of-18 from outside the arc, but were 9-of-24 from 2-point range.

The Zags, too, had ways of prolonging their possessions in the second half. Gonzaga pounded the offensive glass hard after halftime, snagging six offensive rebounds and scoring 12 second-chance points.