Young Stars Fuel Zags MBB to 21st WCC Title Under Mark Few
Gonzaga men’s basketball shrugged off a shaky first half to secure yet another West Coast Conference championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament following a 79-68 win over Santa Clara on Tuesday, March 10, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The Zags (30-3, 16-2 WCC) had four players score in double figures, getting massive contributions from their freshman class in a critical victory. Gonzaga’s elite defense outweighed being shaky at the free-throw line and outhustled on the offensive boards.
Here’s what we learned from a massive Zags victory over Santa Clara (26-8, 15-3) for the league title.
Expected, unexpected struggles for Zags
The Zags began the game with two quick turnovers amid Santa Clara's stifling defense. That led to a quick 9-1 lead by the Broncos.
A 3-pointer from Mario Saint-Supery stopped the bleeding, and an emphatic jam from Graham Ike cut the Santa Clara lead down to three rather quickly.
It was neck-and-neck for a time as Gonzaga managed to force six turnovers of Santa Clara in the opening period. However, even as halftime closed in, the Zags still had not led all game — a trend this Gonzaga team has not regularly been used to this season.
That still wasn’t cause for concern, as Santa Clara had held eight-point leads at one time in both of the Zags’ regular-season wins over the Broncos. Gonzaga stayed the course, trusting its defense and star power.
Santa Clara, similar to its win over Saint Mary’s in the semifinals, was much more physical. That led to more fouls as well, with 10 in the first half alone. But the Zags couldn’t capitalize on the Broncos’ mistakes, converting just three of their first nine free-throw attempts.
That wasn’t a new trend, as Gonzaga was tied for last in the WCC with a 70.4 free-throw percentage during the regular season. But that trend reared its ugly head at a brutal time.
At that point, a concern of effort compounded the poor free-throw shooting. Santa Clara outrebounded the Zags on the offensive end 11-3, consistently making the hustle plays that Gonzaga left on the floor.
Santa Clara took a 33-29 lead into the locker room, marking the first time since Feb. 4 that the Zags trailed at halftime. The Broncos took away Ike, who had just four points in the first half.
A complete shift
The halftime chatter appeared to work. Gonzaga showed much more urgency to begin the second half, controlling the pace after Santa Clara had dictated it all game.
It wasn’t the methodic dominance we’ve come to expect of this team, but rather a controlled aggressiveness.
Freshman Davis Fogle stepped up once again, putting in a 3-pointer with 13:08 remaining to give the Zags their first lead of the game, 50-49.
The Zags’ defense began to, once again, complement their offense. The basket opened up, and Santa Clara couldn’t close it back down. Tyon Grant-Foster and Saint-Supery stepped up in the absence of a monster game for Ike, charging the offense forward.
Even once a large nine-point Gonzaga lead was shrunk to five, Saint-Supery drilled a triple to push it back to eight. It was exactly the kind of answer the Zags were looking for.
Gonzaga proved they could win the battle of attrition — something that comes with the coaching experience and program legacy Mark Few and the Zags are known for in the WCC.
A late Fogle and-one on another exceptional night for the freshman pushed the Zags’ lead to 10 with just over a minute remaining, and that was the dagger.
Saint-Supery, also a freshman, scored a career- and team-high 21 points and added five rebounds and four assists. Grant-Foster had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Ike totaled 15 points. Fogle had a well-rounded performance with 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Christian Hammond led Santa Clara with 24 points, attempting to will the Broncos back into the game.
Survival at its finest
Santa Clara threw the kitchen sink at Gonzaga in the first half, outhustling the Zags and getting a gift from one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the league.
Even with those mistakes, it didn’t matter. The entire roster showed up, leading to a 48-35 second-half mismatch in favor of the Zags. Few, leading his team to its 29th straight WCC title game, won his 21st tournament championship.
It’ll be a hard road ahead for this Gonzaga team in the NCAA Tournament, but they can’t be underestimated because of their ability to outlast opponents.
The depth is there for a deep tournament run if the young players — Fogle and Saint-Supery, in particular — can continue to contribute in a big way next to the superstars.
