What Gonzaga's Mark Few Said After Win At Washington State

Gonzaga fans will apt walk nan adjacent fewer days wondering what nan nonaccomplishment of Braden Huff intends for their squad beyond Thursday night.

For nan clip being, nan thought of not having nan Bulldogs' starring scorer successful nan lineup for astatine slightest nan adjacent period tin return little a backseat to nan Zags' latest triumph complete their in-state rivals from Pullman, Washington.

Huff's absence owed to a knee wounded didn't look to inhibit Gonzaga during a 86-65 victory complete Washington State Thursday night, particularly connected nan protect extremity of nan floor.

The Zags (18-1, 6-0 WCC) earned their 11th consecutive triumph connected nan play aft clamping down nan Cougars (8-11, 3-3 WCC) for 33 minutes — excluding a basking agelong successful nan first half from nan location squad — and getting 23 points and 11 rebounds from Huff's frontcourt mate, Graham Ike.

Jalen Warley spearheaded different awesome protect outing from Gonzaga, which forced 17 turnovers and held Washington State to a paltry 40.4% shooting from nan field, including 8-of-24 from wrong nan arc.

Warley's strength connected nan protect extremity and connected nan boards was felt from nan get-go, arsenic nan Zags jumped retired to an early 15-5 lead courtesy of nan 6-foot-7 forward's speedy hands and timely violative boards.

Washington State had a consequence ready, though, and an improbable 1 astatine that. In request of a spark, David Riley turned to 6-foot-9 guardant Simon Hildebrandt — a elder from Canada who averaged nether 13 minutes of playing clip entering Thursday — for a root of offense.

In nan blink of an eye, Gonzaga's double-digit lead was erased by 3 consecutive 3-pointers from nan High Point transfer, making it a 15-14 midway done nan first half.

Hildebrandt's barrage started an avalanche of 9 consecutive makes for nan Cougars, going an full 7 minutes without a miss from nan field.

Once nan good dried up, though, Gonzaga didn't discarded immoderate clip seizing momentum. Ten first-half turnovers and almost nary beingness wrong nan arc from nan Cougars helped nan Zags upwind nan large wind down nan agelong of nan half, turning what was a tied crippled pinch 3 minutes near into nan first half into a 10-point Gonzaga lead astatine halftime.

Washington State was 8-for-15 from 3-point scope but conscionable 4-for-10 wrong nan arc successful nan first half. Hildebrandt, who averaged 2.8 points going into Thursday, led each scorers pinch 12, while Warley had 11 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Gonzaga's 13-3 scoring tally astatine nan extremity of nan half — capped disconnected by a bully turnaround jumper successful nan lane by Davis Fogle — group nan reside for nan last 20 minutes of regulation. Washington State missed six of its first 8 looks from nan section coming retired of nan locker room and had nary reply for Ike connected nan different end, creating a bad operation for nan Cougars religious successful attendance.

It was a bittersweet nighttime wide for nan Bulldogs, though, considering their starring scorer had sustained a knee wounded anterior to Thursday’s game. Huff was ruled retired for 4-8 weeks, according to nan school, delivering a monolithic rustle to nan Zags amid what had been a career-year for nan 6-foot-10 redshirt junior.

Gonzaga improved to 15-3 against Washington State nether caput coach Mark Few, including 10-1 successful nan past 11 head-to-head meetings. Thursday’s triumph besides put nan Zags astatine 18-1 connected nan 2025-26 campaign, marking conscionable nan 5th clip successful nan Few era that Gonzaga won astatine slightest 18 of their first 19 games to commencement a season.

The Bulldogs’ 11 consecutive wins is nan program’s longest specified streak since rattling disconnected 12 consecutive en way to nan Elite Eight successful 2023.

Gonzaga will look for triumph No. 12 successful a statement Saturday arsenic it takes connected Seattle U astatine Climate Pledge Arena (7 p.m., ESPN+ and KHQ).

Here's what Few said aft Thursday's crippled successful Pullman.

On bouncing backmost quickly from Huff's wounded news

"We didn't person overmuch clip to consciousness sorry for ourselves. That's thing that I'm very, very proud of this group. It was a really, really, really awesome triumph for us; spell connected nan road, play a squad that was playing immoderate of nan champion hoops they played this year. And to do it without not only 1 of our champion players, 1 of nan champion players successful nan league, 1 of nan champion players successful nan retired west' I deliberation 1 of nan amended players successful nan country, truthful that's a batch to person to sorb successful 24 hours. The guys were great, perfectly great."

On Jalen Warley's impact

"I deliberation that benignant of sent a connection like, 'Hey, we're here. We're gonna beryllium each right.'

On Gonzaga's expertise to limit Washington State wrong nan arc

"We were great. Going in, we thought we were under-sized, truthful we were worried astir them posting america up. We conscionable didn't do a awesome occupation connected our rotations retired of our doubles, and a mates times we weren't expected to beryllium successful a double but we did anyway, giving up 3s ... but Hildebrandt did a awesome occupation uncovering those things. Obviously, we knew Ace Glass tin do that, but. yeah; we weathered that large wind and that small barrage there. I deliberation without that, I deliberation by and large, we really guarded beautiful darn well."

On everyone adjusting to their domiciled without Huff

"You're ever apprehensive — B-Huff does truthful overmuch for us. He's conscionable 1 of those guys ... he conscionable scores nan shot truthful easy and truthful efficiently. But my thoughts were, our defense would beryllium fine. Obviously, we had personification for illustration Jalen. [Ismaila Diagne] really banged up his successful nan earlier, truthful we weren't rather judge if he could go, and those minutes of his were huge. I thought he really helped us."

On coming retired faster vs. Seattle U

"We conscionable request to play better. This will beryllium a wholly different game. The first 1 will person thing to do pinch this one. I deliberation we knowledgeable them, we talked to nan squad astir really they're a tough, hard, nosed squad that plays really beingness and has a awesome small constituent defender and tin really take sides astir nan rim."

"They're besides bully rebounding team. So, nan biggest point for us, and these speedy turnarounds; they request to get home, get rested and springiness a short, easy plan, and past conscionable fto them spell connected nan plane."