The pair of undefeateds in West Coast Conference play lived up to the hype, on late national television in Spokane, no less. No students were present inside the McCarthey Athletic Center once again, and the tension felt through the tube in the first half was obvious.
The Santa Clara Broncos (13-5, 4-1 WCC) shot lights out in the upset victory in Spokane last season, hitting 18-for-38 from beyond the arc and dropping an inconceivable 108 points in the Kennel. But this season’s Gonzaga Bulldogs squad (17-1, 5-0 WCC) is much better equipped defensively on the perimeter, as shown in the second half tonight.
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Graduate forward Graham Ike wasn’t going to let Santa Clara come back into his house and steal away a win again. He scored 9 of Gonzaga’s 11 points before the first TV timeout. Ike was unguardable in 1-on-1 situations near the basket throughout, even when double-teams were thrown his way later on.
Turnovers from the Zags early on are what kept coach Herb Sendek’s Broncos hanging around in the first half. Seven of those costly errors in the first 11 minutes of the game can’t happen against anyone, no matter the opponent.
Gonzaga did close the first half on an 8-0 run through the final two minutes to tie it all up at 37 heading into the halftime locker room. That came after an 11-0 run from Santa Clara, and it was still apparent that self-inflicted wounds can kill.
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The Broncos came into the matchup leading the conference in steals at 9.3 per game, so their upbeat energy on the defensive side of the floor to start doesn’t come as a surprise. They finished with seven steals and scored 18 points off the Zags’ 13 total turnovers.
If this unit is playing for a deep run in March, ultimately getting outrebounded and outmuscled on the glass in the first half is unjustifiable going forward in the dog days of West Coast Conference play. Gonzaga struggled defensively when securing rebounds and handing over second-chance opportunities to Santa Clara through the first 20 minutes.
The second half was more of a confident offensive tempo that played in Gonzaga’s favor. Ike continued his season-high performance all the way to 34 points on 13-for-17 shooting, the first time he’s ever scored 30+ in a Zag uniform. His career-high in points came when Ike was just a sophomore with the Wyoming Cowboys way back on December 2, 2021 (35 points vs. the Denver Pioneers).
Ike also grabbed 11 rebounds, notching his 10th double-double of the 2025-26 season and landing in the top-five most in all of college basketball. The big fella from Aurora, Colorado, continues his All-American campaign in his final season of eligibility, doing it with the bully-ball in the low-post to the mid-range leftie jumpers to even stretching out the range from afar.
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Ike’s frontcourt partner, redshirt junior forward Braden Huff (12 points on 6-0f-9 field goals, six rebounds), knows his teammate is capable of even more after speaking with the media postgame.
“He (Graham Ike) could be a 20 points-per-game scorer, but he sacrifices a lot to win for the team, so tonight I think you saw how dominant he is. Definitely in my eyes the best big in the country.” – Gonzaga’s Braden Huff on Graham Ike
Zags’ coach Mark Few had his group playing with more defensive intensity in the final 20 minutes of play, collapsing on loose ball situations or surrounding when the Broncos picked up their dribble, turning stops into points on the other end.
A variant of what was seen in the first half, going on a 17-0 run mid-way through the second half, while causing Santa Clara to turn it over through their consistent activity on the ball, plus taking much better care of the rock. In fact, Gonzaga led by 23 points at one point.
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Junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti (13 points on 4-for-4 shooting/4-for-7 free throws) deserves high praise for playing with an exuberant spirit, competing on both ends of the floor, especially when closing out on Sendek’s collection of snipers. That’s why Few continues to plug him into the starting lineup; he acts as the x-factor amongst a bunch of offensive talent that can fill the bucket up while putting his body on the line defensively.
Santa Clara lives and dies by the three-point line, finishing 7-for-26 from beyond the arc versus the Zags (27 percent). Coming into tonight’s matchup, the Broncos led the West Coast Conference in three-point attempts (30.3 per game) and three-point makes (9.9 per game). Senior forward Elijah Mahi (eight points on 3-for-9 field goals, 0-for-2 three-pointers) was on a tear as of late before the San Diego Toreros game on Jan. 4, but was unimpactful while dealing with foul issues halfway through the first half.
Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Hammond, Santa Clara’s team-leading scorer, gave his best effort to try to bring the Bay Area unit back in this one with his 14 points on 7-for-13 shooting, three rebounds, and three assists/three turnovers.
In Adam Miller’s first start since the disaster at the Players Era Festival title game in Las Vegas against the Michigan Wolverines, the graduate guard showed off his ability to play in transition, along with Innocenti. The pair seemed to be consistently breaking out and leading the run against the Broncos in the second half.
Gonzaga has now won three of the last five meetings against Santa Clara, and leads the all-time series between the two programs, 72-32. The Zags are riding a 10-game winning streak and remain undefeated in conference play, along with rival Saint Mary’s Gaels (15-2, 4-0 WCC).
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The No. 8 program in the country gets a rest this weekend before heading back on the road to nearby Pullman in a test with the Washington State Cougars (8-9, 3-1 WCC) next week. Tip-off is planned for 7 p.m. PT on Thursday, Jan. 15, on the CBS Sports Network.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
