Graham Ike posterizes Xavier Booker in Gonzaga vs. UCLA showdown

Any questions about the health of Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike's ankle were answered quickly on Saturday night against UCLA in Seattle.

Ike scored the first five points of the game for Gonzaga, but it was what he did about 12 minutes into the game that really turned heads.

The 6'9 senior forward caught a pass at the free throw line, drove toward the basket and threw down a monster dunk with his right hand over UCLA's starting center and leading shot blocker Xavier Booker - which gave Gonzaga a 23-19 lead and sent the pro-Gonzaga crowd at Climate Pledge Arena into a frenzy.

Ike missed the ensuing free throw which ended his perfect night. Prior to that he was 5-5 from the field, including 1-1 from three, and had 11 of Gonzaga's 23 points.

Gonzaga trailed for most of the first ten minutes of this game, with UCLA's trademark high pressure defense and methodical pace frustrating the Zags and resulting in the team settling for outside shots rather than pounding the ball down low. Ike was the lone Zag providing offense in the first half, but Gonzaga hung with UCLA thanks to a strong defensive effort, forcing multiple turnovers and keeping the Bruins from getting second chance opportunities.

However, Ike's dunk not only got the crowd fully into the game, it got his team going as well. Gonzaga went on a 10-6 run following the dunk, ultimately carrying a 45-40 lead into halftime at Climate Pledge Arena.

Ike did not play in Gonzaga's most recent game, a 109-58 win over North Florida on Sunday night, due to lingering ankle soreness. The preseason All-American suffered the injury initially against Maryland in the second game of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, but he remained in the game and played the following night against Michigan - posting his worst game in a Gonzaga uniform with just one point on a technical free throw.

He used the next 9 days to rest up and responded with a monster performance against Kentucky in Nashville, scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds on 11-18 shooting. However he reaggravated the ankle in a collision with Otega Oweh and - with barely 48 hours between games and a 1,000 mile plan ride - the team wisely chose to hold him out of the North Florida game to recover.

It's quite clear Ike is moving just fine against a big, physical UCLA team, and Gonzaga no doubt needs him at full strength to finish this one off and move to 10-1 on the year.