Gonzaga pulls off a narrow win over Arizona State, 88-80

It wasn’t pretty, but Gonzaga’s depth and maturity won out in the end

The Zags are back in the Kennel, baby! Gonzaga eeks out a narrow win in their home opener over a scrappy (and underrated?) ASU squad, 88-80. Like acupuncture, that game was scary and only felt good once it was over.

After an absolute drubbing of the Baylor Bears, the Bulldogs might have felt they’d already made their early-season statement and could cruise against an ASU team that went 14-18 last season. What they failed to consider, however, is that ASU coach Bobby Hurley is an incredible recruiter, and this is not the same ASU team. Not at all. The noise of the Kennel and the narratives surrounding this year’s Gonzaga team didn’t seem to faze the ASU Sun Devils, who time and again refused to roll over and stay down.

The Zags eventually scraped together an 8-point win thanks to strong performances from Khalif Battle, Ryan Nembhard, and Braden Huff, but it’s hard to leave that game feeling like the post-Baylor jubilation was 100% justified. Many of the strengths that shone against Baylor (incredible bench depth, scoring versatility, exceptional rebounding) were still on display against ASU. Other areas, however, were notably lacking (perimeter defense, interior defense, crisp defensive rotations, transition defense, defense without fouling, etc.). The Zags ultimately clutched this one from the jaws of defeat, but it wasn’t pretty, and they’ll need to play much better against Kentucky, San Diego State, and UConn to justify their ranking.

First Half

It was a lackluster opening half for the Bulldogs’ starting five. Hickman, Battle, and Nembhard were a combined 4-13 from the field and 0-6 from deep. Ike looked uncomfortable with ASU’s length, resulting in some sloppy ball control on one end and silly fouls on the other. Gregg was held scoreless despite getting good looks from deep and was getting run ragged trying to defend ASU’s exceptional ball movement on the perimeter.

The depth and skill of the Bulldog bench kept the ship afloat. Huff, Stromer, and Ajayi came off the bench to outscore all starters 23 to 15 on 10-17 shooting (3-5 from three) by the end of the first half. Ajayi grabbed nine rebounds (he would finish with 12 total), and Huff made a strong case for himself to earn starting minutes as he carved up ASU in the screen-and-roll.

The score was tied at halftime, and while the Zags had gained some momentum toward the end of the first half, it was clear they’d need a much more inspired second-half performance on both ends to win their home opener.

Second Half

They were able to muster exactly half of that. The game’s second half was a story of Gonzaga’s exceptional offense competing against its inability to play defense. Time after time, the Bulldogs would pull off an incredible offensive play—a big three from Battle, an alley-oop slam to Huff, a quick driving layup from Hickman—only to break down defensively on the other end of the floor (a silly foul by Battle, poor rim protection from Huff, a blown perimeter assignment by Hickman, etc).

This poor defense was especially frustrating after the lockdown precision glimpsed against Baylor. Fans had nearly a week of thinking Gonzaga’s defense might have turned a corner this year, only to watch them get torched from outside and blown by for easy layups by an ASU team built with transfers and freshmen. I’m choosing to believe the defensive issues we saw in this game (rather than the Baylor game) were the actual fluke, and that as the season progresses, we’ll see a return to the poised defensive performance from a few days ago. But I’ll need a larger sample size to say so with confidence.

Fortunately, the second half was also a story of ASU competing against its own youth and immaturity, as fouls and poor shot selection prevented them from building the kind of momentum necessary to leave McCarthy with a rare W. They looked like a promising team with a lot of inexperience to work through. True freshman Jayden Quaintance, the highest-ranking recruit in ASU history, was held to nine points and one rebound. Though he had some highlight-reel defensive plays and showcased elite athleticism, he was saddled with foul trouble and spent long stretches of the second half on the bench. Freshman Joson Sanon was similarly held to three points and one assist.

Basheer Jihad, however, played out of his mind, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 7-7 from the free-throw line. The Zags had no answer for the 6’9” senior transfer from Ball State, and without his stalwart defense and stellar one-on-one offense, this game would not have been particularly close.

Players of the Game

It was once again the electrifying play of Khalif Battle that helped the Bulldogs take off in the second half. Battle finished with 19 points on 50% shooting and went 8-8 from the line—an incredible stat line. Even more impressive, he scored all 19 points in the second half alone. The alley-oop from Nembhard deserves a second look…

Ryan Nembhard once again looked like a new-and-improved version of himself. He finished with his usual 10+ assists but also played more aggressively on offense, getting to the line in key moments and hitting a huge three-pointer from deep to give the Zags a much-needed boost.

But it was Braden Huff who stepped up the most for the Bulldogs. Huff led all scorers with 21 points in 26 minutes off the bench (Ike played 14 minutes at center). He looked unstoppable around the rim and displayed an Olajuwon-esque soft touch with his fadeaway hook shot. His exceptional length, great hands, and chemistry with Nembhard in the high screen-and-roll look like automatic points for the Zags already and unless Ike can turn things around in a hurry there will be conversation to be had over who deserves those starting minutes.

Why We Won / What It Means

Gonzaga was able to pull this one out because they had what last year’s team lacked: depth. With Hickman struggling to connect and Ike getting bullied in the post, last year’s team would have been exposed as lacking a real Plan B. This year, however, multiple players can step up. When things got tight down the stretch, it was Huff’s scoring and Ajayi’s defense that kept the Bulldogs going. When they needed buckets quickly, Nembhard and Battle answered the call.

Defense remains a work in progress for this year’s team, and they won’t make it past the Sweet 16 with the defense they showed against ASU. That said, the depth this year offers more resources for turning things around. It’s still early in the season, and it’s exciting to think there’s so much room for growth.