What Gonzaga's Mark Few Said After Nail-biting Win Over San Francisco

2 jam yang lalu

Gonzaga hung connected for a 68-66 triumph complete San Francisco Saturday successful a thrilling back-and-forth West Coast Conference conflict from McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (21-1, 9-0 WCC) sewage everything nan Dons (13-9, 5-4 WCC) could propulsion their way, including respective haymakers down nan agelong of regulation, arsenic they squeezed retired their 14th consecutive triumph of nan season.

The Zags led by double-digits respective times successful nan first and 2nd halves but ne'er seemed to propulsion distant from nan Dons, who managed to make 11 much shots from downtown and outrebounded nan location team, 41-37, keeping things absorbing for nan full 40-minute affair.

Gonzaga managed to slug its measurement to a double-digit but began to consciousness nan unit erstwhile nan 3-pointers that didn't autumn for San Francisco early connected started to driblet midway done nan first half.

Even though not overmuch was going down wrong nan arc for nan Dons, they were capable to link connected a fewer 3-pointers to trim their 11-point shortage down to 5 arsenic nan Bulldogs' discourtesy stalled without a reliable beingness successful nan overgarment to thin on.

San Francisco didn't get connected nan scoreboard until nan 12:40 people successful nan first half, though a mates of 3s from Riley IV and Smiley made it a 7-point crippled pinch conscionable complete 10 minutes near successful nan half.

Gonzaga was capable to trust connected Tyon Grant-Foster to make bully looks astir nan rim early on. The 6-foot-7 guardant had a tally of 8 consecutive points midway done nan first half, including a modulation dunk disconnected a bargain to make it 20-7 pinch conscionable nether 9 minutes near until intermission.

Three consecutive 3-pointers from San Francisco, followed by 3 makes astatine nan free-throw statement from Smiley, made it a 5-point crippled pinch conscionable 5 minutes near successful nan first half. Gonzaga wasn't rattled, though, arsenic it continued to onslaught nan overgarment and get to nan foul line, pushing its lead to 36-25 astatine nan break.

The Zags didn't deed their first 3-pointer until Braeden Smith drained a triple astir 25 minutes into regulation, snapping Gonzaga's streak of 9 consecutive misses from downtown to commencement nan game.

Another 3 from Fogle moments later made it a 12-point game, but San Francisco was capable to trim that lead successful half successful nan blink of an oculus pinch back-to-back 3s from Abosi Veniamin and Smiley. In nan span of 30 seconds, Gonzaga went from starring by 12 to sitting successful beforehand by six.

After not committing a turnover done 27 minutes of crippled time, Gonzaga turned it complete 4 times successful a 2-minute span, allowing San Francisco to trim its shortage to 3 precocious successful nan 2nd half. The Dons had opportunities to perchance make it moreover much absorbing but faced their stock of miscues arsenic well, including a tally of turnovers and missed layups during a 4-minute section extremity drought.

Gonzaga was enduring a barren spell of its ain connected nan different end, until a beardown thrust and decorativeness from Tyon Grant-Foster pinch 3:36 near pushed nan Zags' lead backmost to six. A 3-pointer from nan seasoned helping moments later made it 67-57 pinch nether 2 minutes to play.

Then, aft missing 8 consecutive from nan field, nan Dons roseate to nan juncture pinch 3 3-pointers to make it a 2-point crippled pinch nether 30 seconds remaining.

San Francisco had a chance to triumph aliases necktie it astatine nan extremity of regularisation pursuing a mates of bad possessions from Gonzaga, but Junjie Wang misfired connected a 3-point effort pinch 3 seconds left.

San Francisco, which entered nan crippled making 9.4 3s per crippled (No. 2 successful nan WCC), went 14-for-28 from downtown against nan league's No. 1 3-point defense and conscionable 8-for-27 connected 2-point attempts. Despite finishing pinch nan fewest makes wrong nan arc since 2017, nan Dons extended their streak of astatine slightest 10 made 3s to 5 games.

Entering Saturday, teams were shooting 29% from down nan arc against Gonzaga, nan No. 12-best people successful nan country.

With nan win, nan Zags continued their champion commencement to a play since opening nan 2020-21 run 31-0 en way to nan nationalist title game. It besides marked nan first clip Gonzaga won its first 9 WCC games since nan 2021-22 season, erstwhile it 13-0 earlier losing its regular play finale astatine Saint Mary's.

Saturday's consequence extended Gonzaga's triumph streak complete San Francisco to 34 and improved nan Bulldogs' grounds against nan Dons nether Mark Few to 57-4. The Zags put that head-to-head triumph streak to nan trial erstwhile much connected Feb. 18 successful a matchup pinch nan Dons astatine Chase Center.

Up adjacent for Gonzaga is simply a pivotal conflict against nan league's second-place team, Saint Mary's (18-3, 7-1 WCC), connected Jan. 31 astatine nan Kennel.

Here's what Few had to opportunity aft Saturday's game.

Thoughts connected really Gonzaga vanished nan game

"We survived connected nan protect end, which was what we were doing each night. We were playing phenomenal defense; started nan crippled pinch conscionable a phenomenal agelong of defense, and past we kept tapping into that passim this full game."

"We needed 1 stop, and we sewage it, and that was nan difference. But we didn't decorativeness nan crippled ideally nan measurement we wanted to. There's a mates bonehead plays that we could person been a small spot smarter connected nan protect end."

On Jalen Warley's performance

"He's conscionable phenomenal, inspiring, epitome of toughness. And giving this program, this municipality each he's got. It's conscionable awesome to witnesser firsthand."

On Gonzaga's turnover problems successful nan 2nd half

"It was conscionable really bad decisions. There were conscionable really bad decisions and trying to do excessively overmuch and not reference nan game, which we didn't do successful nan first half. We were beautiful stone solid. Everybody was switching each actions, truthful erstwhile everybody starts switching each actions, it's difficult to get edges and disconnected plays. Neither 1 of america was really playing immoderate station players, obviously, truthful past you benignant of sewage to make plays successful space. And immoderate guys didn't grip that rather arsenic good successful nan 2nd half."

On Gonzaga's 3-point defense

"They were struggling to people 2s against us, truthful they were hunting 3s and we just, clip and clip again, over-helped. And past we were casual connected 1 adjacent retired and, pinch a 10-point lead each of a abrupt it's down to 4 aliases five."

"Not going to beryllium present and attraction connected nan negative; it was a freaking gutty, gutty, gutty triumph for this squad that was short handed, and it feels great."

On what needs to hap earlier adjacent week's crippled against Saint Mary's

"We conscionable request to return immoderate days off. I mean, Jalen's hit up done this stretch, and we'll spot if and erstwhile we get Graham back, and we'll person to alteration nan measurement we play again. But that'll beryllium a invited summation to get 1 of nan amended players successful America backmost and surely springiness america immoderate much options connected nan violative end."