The undefeated West Coast Conference pair lived up to their expectations in the evening game on national television. There were once again no students inside the McCarthy Athletic Center, and the tension felt through the pipes during the first half was palpable.
The Santa Clara Broncos (13-5, 4-1 WCC) pulled off an upset win in Spokane last season, shooting 18-of-38 from behind the arc and giving up an incredible 108 points in the kennel. But the Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-1, 5-0 WCC) are much better equipped defensively on the perimeter this season, as tonight’s second half showed.
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Graduate forward Graham Ike won’t let Santa Clara return to his house and steal another win. He scored nine of Gonzaga’s 11 points before the first TV timeout. Ike was never able to defend in one-on-one situations around the basket, even when he was double-teamed later.
The Zags’ early miscues were what allowed coach Herb Sendek’s Broncos to hold on to the lead in the first half. Seven costly mistakes in the first 11 minutes of the game could not have happened to anyone, no matter who the opponent was.
Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to end the first half, tying the score at 37 heading into the halftime locker room. This came after Santa Clara went on an 11-0 run, but it became clear that self-inflicted injuries could be fatal.
The Broncos lead the league with 9.3 steals per game, so their early energy on defense isn’t surprising. They finished with seven steals and scored 18 points on 13 Zags turnovers.
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If this team was going deep in March, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to end up getting out-rebounded and out-rebounded in the first half during a dog-day game in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga struggled defensively for the first 20 minutes, grabbing rebounds and handing Santa Clara a second chance.
The offense moved at a more confident pace in the second half, which worked to Gonzaga’s advantage. Ike continued his season-high performance, scoring 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting, his first 30+ points in a Zag uniform. Ike’s career-high score came on December 2, 2021, when he was a sophomore at Wyoming (35 points against the Denver Trail Blazers).
Ike also grabbed 11 rebounds, his 10th double-double of the 2025-26 season and top five in college basketball. The big man from Aurora, Colo., continues his run as an All-American in his final season of eligibility, extending his range from deep with a dominant drive in the low post to a left-handed jumper in the mid-range.
Ike’s frontcourt partner, redshirt small forward Braden Huff (12 points on 0-for-9 shooting, six rebounds), knew his teammate was capable of more.
“He (Graham Ek) may be a 20-point scorer, but he sacrifices a lot for his team to win, so tonight I think you saw how dominant he was. He’s definitely the best big man in the country in my eyes.” – Gonzaga’s Braden Huff on Graham Ike
Zags coach Mark Few had his team adopt greater defensive intensity in the game’s final 20 minutes, collapsing on lost possessions or collapsing on the Broncos running the ball and turning stops into scores on the other end. Unlike the first half, a 17-0 run midway through the second half dealt with the rocks and led to Santa Clara turning the ball over with their sustained ball control activity. In fact, Gonzaga led by 23 points at one point.
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Junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti (13 points on 4-of-4 shooting and 4-of-7 free throws) deserves high praise for showing great spirit on both ends of the floor, especially when closing in on Sendek’s snipers. That’s why Few continues to put him in the starting lineup. He can be the unknown factor in a group of offensive talents who can fill buckets and put his body on the defensive line.
Santa Clara lives and dies around the three-point line, and against the Zags he shot 7-for-26 from beyond the arc (27 percent). Entering tonight’s game, the Broncos lead the West Coast Conference in three-point attempts (30.3 per game) and three-point field goals made (9.9 per game). Before the Jan. 4 game against the San Diego Matadors, power forward Elijah Mahy (eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, 0-for-2 from 3-point range) had a solid game but fell flat midway through the first half when dealing with foul trouble.
Adam Miller made his first start since the disaster of the Players’ Era Championship Game against the Michigan Wolverines, and the graduate guard showed off his ability in transition with Innocenti. The two seemed to be breaking out and taking the lead throughout the second half against the Broncos.
Gonzaga has now won three of its last five games against Santa Clara and leads the all-time series between these two programs 72-32. The Zags have won 10 straight and remain undefeated in conference play against rival St. Mary’s Gaels (15-2, 4-0 WCC).
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The eighth-ranked team in the nation will take a break this weekend before returning to nearby Pullman next week to take on the Washington State Cougars (8-9, 3-1 WCC). The schedule will be revealed on Thursday, January 15th at 7pm PT on the CBS Sports Network.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga grad from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
