Takeaways From Gonzaga’s Tight 76-72 Exhibition Loss Against Arkansas
Despite an ugly performance overall, Gonzaga nearly eked out a road exhibition win against Arkansas. What were the takeaways from the Zags falling in Fayetteville?
In a high-profile preseason game between two ranked opponents, the No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs fell to the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 76-72. The Zags nearly handed the Hogs their first home exhibition loss in 40 games, but they squandered a 10-point lead and couldn’t regain control on the road.
From the last three minutes of the first half to the first four and a half minutes after halftime, the Hogs went on an 18-0 run, scoring nine points on either side of the intermission. The two sides played pretty evenly outside of that stretch.
“That run’s the biggest thing; I think that hurt us the most,” senior forward Braden Huff said.
Neither team shot particularly well overall, but the Razorbacks killed the Bulldogs from 3-point range, especially in the second half, to deter a comeback attempt. In that respect, the game was reminiscent of several games last season, when Gonzaga struggled to shoot from distance and fell into offensive ruts.
“Really bad offense by us,” head coach Mark Few said afterward.
GU forward Davis Fogle sat out with a left leg injury, with the program erring on the side of caution. Chauncey Wiggins also didn’t suit up as the lone ineligible player on the Zags’ roster, while freshmen Sam Funches and Carter Nilson didn’t play either. Still, there were other reasons GU was unable to grab a win in Fayetteville.
Mixed Backcourt Results and Returning 3-Point Woes
With Fogle considered day-to-day, newcomer guards Xaivian Lee and Nathan De Sousa started Saturday’s game, with Houston transfer Isiah Harwell at the 3. And whether it be the exhibition nature or Fogle’s injury, Few experimented with three point-guard lineups, running Dayton transfer Javon Bennett alongside Lee and De Sousa at times.
But it was a forgettable day for Bennett and De Sousa, who had putrid shooting efforts in the loss. De Sousa led the Zags with 17 shots, but he converted only two. He was also 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Bennett went 1-for-8 from the field, throwing up a couple of airballs on his four 3-point attempts.
"They struggled...they definitely have room for improvement after looking at those numbers right there," Few said.
