What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after statement win over Alabama

Bulldogs earn top 10 win with impressive win over Crimson Tide

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Through the first three weeks of the college basketball season, Gonzaga won all six of its games in double-digit fashion.

And it wasn't like the Bulldogs (6-0) were teeing off a bunch of lower-tiered mid-majors, either; they played four power conference opponents in the span of 16 days, including three participants from last season's NCAA Tournament outside the confines of McCarthey Athletic Center.

That's certainly not a bad way to start the 2025-26 campaign for the Zags, whose most impressive win in the first month of the season came Monday in a 95-85 victory over No. 8 Alabama.

Gonzaga felt the Crimson Tide's physicality early on but eventually settled in behind a dominant night for Graham Ike, who scored 10 consecutive points during a stretch in the first half that helped withstand a flurry of punches from Labaron Philon Jr. in the Players Era Festival opener from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The Bulldogs spent all night trying to corral one of the nation's hottest teams on offense. An off-night from behind the arc (9-of-32) and a poorly-timed cold stretch with about 4 minutes left in regulation weren't part of the recipe for success for Alabama, which came into the night averaging 12 makes from downtown and 91 points per contest.

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) shoots against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7). | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

It also didn't help Nate Oats and company that the Zags outmatched the Crimson Tide's physicality, winning the rebounding margin, 48-36, while scoring 25 second-chance points off 20 offensive rebounds.

Philon kept Alabama in the fight but ran out of steam after scoring 29 points through the first 30 minutes of game time. Over the final 9 minutes, 51 seconds, the sophomore guard had three assists, two turnovers and two missed field goals.

The Crimson Tide took the lead with about 7 minutes left, only to find themselves down 12 with about 3 minutes remaining following a 17-3 scoring run from the Zags.

Ike and Tyon Grant-Foster fueled the Zags' late surge, as the former shrugged off a slow start while the latter punished the Crimson Tide on the offensive glass to finish with a season-high 21 points, eight rebounds and a couple of big-time dunks in the closing minutes, including an alley-oop throwdown off a pass from Ike.

Ike recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Braden Huff added an efficient 18, Steele Venters drained a clutch 3-pointer to finish with 12 points and the Zags muscled their way to their first win over a top 10 team since last season's opener against Baylor.

Gonzaga resumed action Tuesday against Maryland, which took the floor after the Zags to face UNLV in the Players Era nightcap. Tuesday's tip-off was set for 6:30 p.m. PT on truTV.

A win over the Terrapins would make the Zags eligible to play in Wednesday's championship game.

Here's what Mark Few had to say after the win:

On Tyon Grant-Foster's impact

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7). | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"He's already changed our team with some of the plays he makes. He has this ability when we have a breakdown on defense, he comes flying out of nowhere to pin it against the backboard or steal it or just make plays. He's got a real gift with his basketball intellect, especially on that side of the floor."

"His shot selection sometimes is moronic, on the offensive end, and so we're working on that. But just his will, his heart, his fight. I mean, we were running very good offense, and the plays he made the first half were just courageous and tough and just winning plays."

"You need that in games like this. Nate's got great sets. I think we have really nice, good sets. It makes sense. This game is about after the sets; the possessions and the broken plays, things like that."

On how he feels about where his team is in comparison to some of his previous squads

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Steele Venters (2) talks with head coach Mark Few. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"I feel great because I think there's room for growth. There's a lot of stuff I feel like we have to clean up right now that I feel gives us a higher ceiling, whereas are '17 team was pretty good to go by this time; certainly our '21 team was clicking on all cylinders way back in the first tournament we had.

"It's really encouraging, and it's really kind of exciting from that point of view. But I give these guys a lot of credit. We've played a pretty arduous schedule so far and they found ways to win."

On holding Labaron Philon scoreless over the final 9 minutes, 51 seconds of regulation

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) controls a loose ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"We switched defenses three different times to push our coverages, and they hit their coverages every single time. And that, again, is those little steps I'm saying, because man, you get to March, when we're a team that wants to switch our coverages; everybody's got to be on the same page. Everybody's got to do their job, and we got to execute just like you do on offense. And these guys, even though Tyon was playing the four, playing the three and we had Huff and [Ike], and then we went small with Jalen and Steele was in there. They're playing different spots on the zone because Alabama rushes it up so fast. They hit their coverages. That was huge."