What Graham Ike said after Gonzaga thumped Washington State

Bulldogs leaned on Ike in 21-point win over the Cougars

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Outside of Braden Huff himself, there probably weren't many people who took the news of the 6-foot-10 forward's knee injury to heart more than his Gonzaga teammate, Graham Ike.

The chemistry on the court between the two outstanding post players underscores their bond off it, creating for one of the most dynamic tandems in all of college basketball. For the Zags, the two serve as the engine to their highly-potent offense that revolves around dominating the paint.

Starting Thursday, though, the Bulldogs won't have half of their one-two punch in the frontcourt for some time, as Huff is expected to miss at least a month due to a knee injury he suffered in practice.

Despite the emotions that came with the heavy news, Ike and the rest of the Bulldogs didn't have time to hang their head — not with a road matchup against their in-state rival on the docket.

Washington State (8-11, 3-3 WCC) delivered everything it could throw at Gonzaga (18-1, 6-0 WCC) early on, but before long, Ike and company overwhelmed the out-matched Cougars in the paint, putting together another impressive performance inside the arc without their leading scorer in the fold.

The Cougars shot well from outside the arc, though the Zags took full advantage once the well eventually dried up, ending the first half on a 13-3 scoring run en route to an 86-65 victory from Beasley Coliseum.

Ike led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds, as the Zags outscored the Cougars, 52-12, in the paint while holding Washington State to just 8-for-24 from inside the arc.

Here's what Ike had to say after the game.

On keeping Huff's spirits up

"It's a tough time for me and B-Huff, just because I know how much he wants to be out there and I missed him, most definitely. But I'm just keeping his spirits high as the whole team is, and just making sure that he's in good spirits. And whenever we get him back, we'll be right, but until then, we just gonna keep playing hard for him."

On his double-double performance

"Just playing forceful. I think we did that from the tip. We had a couple mishaps early on, but we got it together real quick and responded to adversity really well."

On the impact Adam Miller and Jalen Warley had

"They both had a huge impact today, and recently. I know they're going to give it their all every time they step out on the court. I'm extremely proud of them. The way that they stepped up tonight was huge."

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