Gonzaga’s guards make their points in victory over UCLA

SEATTLE – Gonzaga’s bigs, per usual, led the way.

GU’s point guards led in their own way, dealing with an assortment of UCLA defenses, zones, traps, presses and “a lot of pressure,” as Zags coach Mark Few said during his post-game remarks.

Freshman starter Mario Saint-Supery and junior Braeden Smith didn’t rack up their typical assist numbers, but the Zags’ offense kept humming along by limiting turnovers and adjusting, no matter what UCLA schemed up on the defensive end.

And Saint-Supery and Smith couldn’t have picked better times to register big baskets, especially in the second half as the Zags turned a one-point deficit into an 82-72 victory before an appreciative pro-GU crowd at Climate Pledge Arena.

“There was a lot of pressure,” Few said, “especially since our wings were not doing a great job of making themselves available and getting open. So there was a lot of responsibility and just a lot of heat on those guys. They handled it well, handled the press well and they had some very timely buckets.”

For example, Smith’s lone field goal was a 3-pointer with 10:37 remaining that put Gonzaga on top, 62-60, to stay. The margin grew to six before UCLA answered with four quick points.

Graham Ike made 1 of 2 free throws and Saint-Supery followed with a clutch 3-pointer as the Zags ripped off eight straight points to build a 74-64 lead.

“UCLA was doing a good job of pressuring us out of things and also kind of switching defenses, going half zone and then jumping into man,” Few said. “These guys just needed to play. It wasn’t something you joystick from the bench. They did a great job of making the right basketball play.”

And avoiding the wrong ones. Gonzaga finished with only eight turnovers and connected on 50% of its shots. After misfiring early, the Zags found the range on triples, finishing 6 of 16 (37.5%).

In 40 combined minutes, the point guard tandem had one turnover and chipped in 15 points. Gonzaga was plus-12 in Smith’s 13 minutes on the court.

“Our problem is we can’t follow the scouting report, we don’t play smart,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin, mentioning an ill-timed foul on Tyler Bilodeau 40 feet from the hoop that led to a pair of Saint-Supery free throws.

“We struggle at times,” Cronin added. “Tyler needs to get the ball in the post, they had (Jalen) Warley on him at 6-5 (he’s listed at 6-7). We don’t play smart at times. They get their guys the ball.”

Indeed, Ike and Braden Huff combined for 46 points and a key reason was Saint-Supery’s and Smith’s ability to steer the offense through some turbulence.

“It’s all about being efficient and effective,” Few said. “Our guys did a great job with that.”