No Huff, No Ike, No Problem; Gonzaga Suffocates Seattle U 71-50 Without Two Big Men
SEATTLE, Wash. – With star forward Graham Ike being ruled out pregame dealing with ankle soreness, and Braden Huff already being on the shelf for the next 4-8 weeks with a knee injury, No. 9 Gonzaga (19-1, 7-0) was as vulnerable as it’s been all year heading into Saturday night’s game against Seattle U (13-7, 2-5).
Being without its top two scorers and on the road against a Redhawks squad that gave the Bulldogs their best battle in conference two weeks ago, GU seemed to have its hands full. But as head coach Mark Few put it after the team’s previous game, this contest was totally different, and instead of scraping out an overtime victory, the Zags got a dominant 71-50 win at Climate Pledge Arena to remain undefeated in the WCC.
Gonzaga deployed its 10th different starting lineup of the season, and eight of the 10 Bulldogs who played got in the scoring column. The rapid fire news of both bigs going down in a four day span tested the team’s ability to respond, and they once again passed the test.
“We've had some really good responses in the history of this program, and thinking back on them, but this is up there,” said assistant coach Brian Michaelson. “…that is the beauty of the depth for this team.”
It was truly an all-hands-on-deck experience. As expected when Huff went down, Davis Fogle and Ismaila Diagne have seen an uptick in minutes, with the latter earning a start with Ike missing action. Although he never checked into the game, first-year forward Parker Jefferson went through pregame warmups and was dressed to play even though he intended to redshirt this season. Noah Haaland, who had played in just six games this season, with all of them being when the score was out of reach, logged six minutes of work in the first half.
Gonzaga’s coaching staff scrambled to find ways to manufacture offense, as the program’s ceiling this season is predicated on playing through Ike and Huff in the post. The struggles were evident early on, as both teams participated in a rock fight, fighting to get buckets in the half-court. At one point, GU was shooting just 35% from the field and ended the game hitting only six of its 18 tries from three. A 9-0 Bulldogs run was sparked early in the first half primarily on the back of four steals, with the Bulldogs getting their hands on the ball plenty in passing lanes, winding up with 14 steals on the night.
Stepping up consistently was true freshman Mario Saint-Supéry, who tallied a game and career-high 20 points, drilling four of his six attempts from three-point range. Michaelson said Saint-Supéry was really impacted by the flu around the time when GU played Oregon about a month ago, but now that the Spaniard point guard is feeling better, he’s talented and energetic enough to pick the team up in certain areas.
“He's got such a positive spirit, and you've seen it coming back. And that response tonight was huge, because our defense had been good all night, but we weren't scoring at all, and he blew that thing open,” Michaelson said. “And he's got such a swagger. He wanted the ball…So it's good to see that back and him deliver, you know, when we really needed it.
Jalen Warley was also his usual self, contributing 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting with six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Flirting with some five guard lineups, Warley got some work guarding the Redhawks’ centers on defense, as he took his lumps but also held his own on different reps. He wasn’t completely foreign to it, expressing how he guarded ‘fives’ at FSU, where they switched every assignment, but his versatility continues to prove imperative for this Zags team.
Also showing up big was Fogle, who has repeatedly flashed an ability to contribute in the team’s rotation if given the opportunity. Playing his most minutes of the season, Fogle dropped 13 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor with six rebounds and three steals. Even without regular playing time, he slots right in alongside the Bulldogs’ other long, athletic wings, and although he’s less experienced, Fogle is being put through the wringer by his teammates in practice to prepare him when his number is called.
“We be pushing Davis in practice too,” Warley said. ”…I think we have one of the best defenses in the country, so if you can score on us in practice, most likely you can score in a game.”
Even without its two best players, especially offensively, Gonzaga’s strength on the other side of the ball is its perimeter defense. And after Seattle U put up 65 points in regulation last time these faced off, the Zags had a better time defending their opponent this time around.
“Since we already played them one time at the Kennel, kind of knew some of their sets and their guys’ tendencies,” Warley said. “So just really trying to make them do something that’s not their strong suit and just hang our hat on defense.”
The Redhawks shot just 36% from the field and 5-of-21 (24%) from downtown, while almost having as many turnovers (18) as made field goals (19). And unlike the first matchup, where Seattle U won the battle on the boards by one, the Bulldogs outrebounded them by 20 tonight.
Ike’s status is currently listed as day-to-day, and with the Zags scheduled to play against Pepperdine on Wednesday, there is a chance they could be once again playing without both him and Huff. Teams will be better equipped for how GU wants to attack offensively with its small-ball focus. But on the other hand, Gonzaga’s coaching staff will have additional time to adjust a gameplan without those two star forwards.
Additionally, students will return to the McCarthey Athletic Center for the first time since they played North Florida on December 7, and the team will look to keep rolling through conference play.
