Gonzaga Bashes Washington State 86-65 in Wake of Braden Huff Injury
PULLMAN, Wash. – Reported about an hour before tip-off against Washington State (8-11, 3-3), it was made public that No. 9 Gonzaga (18-1, 6-0) would be without one of its leading scorers in Braden Huff for the next 4-8 weeks after the star forward suffered a left knee injury in a recent practice.
The sidelining of Huff calls for every player needing to elevate their level of play to some degree before March Madness, including even Graham Ike, who entered play against the Cougars also averaging 17.8 PPG. Well, he and virtually all of his teammates answered the call in the team’s first game without the standout redshirt junior, getting a sizable win over WSU on the road, 86-65.
GU didn’t have a lot of time to prepare itself for not having Huff, as the program was made aware of the severity of his injury within the last day or so, said head coach Mark Few. But the Bulldogs responded well, getting a commanding win even without one of the best bigs in college basketball.
“We didn't have much time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Few said. “That's something that I'm very, very proud of this group. That was a really, really, really great win for us.”
“Go on the road, play a team that was playing some of the best basketball they played this year, and do it without, not only one of our best players, one of the best players in the league, one of the best players out west, and I think, one of the better players in the country÷. So that's a lot to have to absorb in 24 hours.”
Much of the promise in Gonzaga’s chances of going deep into the tournament is predicated on its depth, which is necessary even while having two great players such as Ike and Huff. But now, without the latter, others will have to increase their production to make up for the nearly 18 points a game that will be absent for possibly two months.
It was a good start to the challenge, as eight different Zags finished with at least five points in the victory over Washington State. Ike led the way with his 11th double-double of the season, posting 23 points and 11 rebounds while also dishing out five assists and notching a couple of steals. The most notable trait of his stat line was his efficient 11-for-15 night from the field, which will be needed with Huff’s departure, who has made the most field goals in the country (145) and at a 66.2% clip.
Huff and Ike are close, so the 6-9 forward says he will attempt to keep his teammate lifted as he recovers while the team continues to battle in between the lines.
“It's a tough time for me and B-Huff, just because I know how much he wants to be out there, and I miss twin, most definitely,” Ike shared. “But I'm just keeping his spirits high as the whole team is…and whenever we get him back, we'll be right, but until then, we just gonna keep playing hard for him.”
Without Huff, GU deployed its ninth different starting lineup of the season, as the now-injured Zag was the only player to have appeared in each of those previous eight versions. Inserted into his place was 6-7 guard Jalen Warley, who has seen time as the team’s “small-ball four” when coming off the bench for one of either Huff or Ike. And just like he has all season, Warley delivered a spark, especially early, as he stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and two assists.
He powered the Bulldogs to 11 unanswered points off four turnovers after the Cougars scored the contest’s first five. WSU then went the next six minutes without scoring before Simon Hildebrandt unloaded the clip with three consecutive shots from beyond the arc, as he was one of three Washington State players to finish with 16 points.
But outside of an admirable shooting night from deep (13-of-28), the Cougars couldn’t get anything going. They were essentially restricted from getting buckets down low, being outscored in the paint by the Bulldogs 52-12, heavily outrebounded, and turned over 17 times. Five separate Zags also collected at least two steals, as there weren’t many easy looks for WSU from inside the arc.
Adam Miller was the third Bulldog to finish in double figures, as he put up 13 points and pulled in five boards while drilling three shots from the perimeter, including a couple of deep ones at the top of the key. His sharpshooting acumen, as well as Steele Venters’, will be imperative as well without Huff on the court.
GU will finish its first series with a conference opponent of the regular season next, as it will travel to Climate Pledge Arena to face Seattle U on Saturday, January 16, at 7 PM PT. The Redhawks have given the Zags their best battle so far in WCC play, jumping out to a double-digit halftime lead at the McCarthey Athletic Center before falling in overtime two weeks ago. Now they will look to complete an upset win over the Bulldogs, who will be without arguably their best player.
