Difference makers: Anton Watson, Braden Huff pace Gonzaga offense in blowout of Portland

Anton Watson

Watson was one of a handful of Zags to reach double figures against an overmatched, shorthanded team from Portland. Watson made his first six shots from the field and only missed two against the Pilots, finishing 9 of 11 from the field with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. The fifth-year senior forward buried Gonzaga’s second 3-pointer just 50 seconds into Tuesday’s game and had 14 points, on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, after one half of play. It was the fifth time Watson scored at least 20 points this season and the first since his 32-point eruption in a Jan. 11 loss at Santa Clara.

Braden Huff

The redshirt freshman forward may be on his way to a third WCC Freshman of the Week nomination after finishing just shy of his career high with 25 points off the bench in Gonzaga’s latest rout of Portland. Huff, who had 26 points in 20 minutes off the bench during a 105-63 road win against San Diego on Jan. 20, checked in at the 14-minute, 35-second mark and registered a career-high 24 minutes while finishing 11 of 16 from the field and 3 of 6 from the 3-point line. Midway through the second half, Huff was responsible for 10 straight Gonzaga points, helping push the Bulldogs’ lead to 72-48. The Illinois native also tallied seven rebounds and three assists.

Turning point

In some ways, the first 5 minutes of the game didn’t look much different than the opening stretch against Saint Mary’s on Saturday. Like they did against the Gaels, the Zags held the Pilots without a field goal for more than 5 minutes to start the game. By the time former Eastern Washington wing Tyler Robertson made Portland’s first shot at the 14:15 mark, the Zags had already made four 3-pointers and established a 19-1 lead. Nolan Hickman, Anton Watson and Ben Gregg all made 3’s inside the game’s first 95 seconds and the Zags led by 27 points at the halftime after a 9 of 17 start from behind the arc.