Graham Ike logged a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double Saturday night and No. 21 Gonzaga led by double figures for the final 27:29 of an 83-68 win over Oklahoma in Spokane, Wash.
Tyon Grant-Foster came off the bench to add 14 points for the Bulldogs (2-0), who punched the ball inside at will to create a 58-20 advantage in points in the paint. Braden Huff scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while reserve Jalen Warley contributed 13 points.
Xzayvier Brown paced the Sooners (1-1) with 21 points but also committed five of their 16 turnovers. Nijel Pack added 18 points and Derrion Reid scored 11 for Oklahoma but it couldn’t consistently hit shots. The Sooners made only 23 of 58 from the field (39.7%) and were 6 of 26 on 3-pointers (23.1%).
Oklahoma also couldn’t keep Gonzaga off the offensive glass. The Zags collected 18 offensive boards and cashed those in for 16 points, while also scoring 14 fast-break points. They earned a 46-39 rebounding advantage, giving up just eight offensive caroms.
The Sooners led 8-3 before Gonzaga, playing a rare home game off-campus at Spokane Arena, went to work. A 12-3 run, capped by Mario Saint-Supery’s layup off an Ike feed, gave the Zags control for good.
They blew the game open with a 15-2 burst starting at the half’s midway point. Except for a deep 3-pointer by Grant-Foster, every other point was a layup or a short shot in the lane as Gonzaga carved Oklahoma up inside.
The margin reached 49-30 at halftime after Grant-Foster found Emmanuel Innocenti for a 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining. The Zags finished the half 22 of 41 from the field while nearly doubling up the Sooners on the glass 26-14.
Oklahoma played better basketball the second half but was simply too far behind to really make Gonzaga sweat. It sliced a 24-point deficit to 75-62 on Pack’s 3-pointer with 3:24 left but Ike and Warley promptly converted point-blank looks to end any remaining suspense.
–Field Level Media
