Analysis: ‘Incredibly efficient’ Braden Huff scores 37 points, takes down Kennel field goal record in Gonzaga’s 98-70 victory

Gonzaga has been as close as you can get to a sure thing with Graham Ike and Braden Huff in the starting lineup, losing on just two occasions – to national runner-up Houston in the NCAA Tournament and second-ranked Michigan earlier this season – since Mark Few paired the frontcourt players together in last year’s West Conference Tournament.

The seventh-ranked Zags might as well be bulletproof when one or both forwards reach their season scoring average in a single game.

Huff surpassed that threshold in the first 20 minutes Wednesday night, matching his career high of 26 points before Gonzaga and visiting Campbell could get to halftime intermission. By the final buzzer, the junior not only had a new personal best of 37 points but multiple school and building records, lifting Gonzaga to a 98-70 victory over the Fighting Camels in a home nonconference finale.

While eclipsing his previous high, Huff also became the first player in the Mark Few era to make at least 11 shots from the field without missing, knocking down 13 consecutive on Wednesday before coming up short on a jumper early in the second half.

There was more. Lots more.

Huff finished 16 of 18 from the field, setting the McCarthey Athletic Center record for made field goals in a single game. Drew Timme, who mentored Huff during the forward’s first two seasons on campus, held the previous record, making 15 shots on two occasions at Gonzaga.

“It was normal B-Huff,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We needed every one of them for a while. He was just incredibly efficient.”

Normal and then some, actually.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Huff became one of just two college basketball players over the last eight seasons to make 12 shots in a single half without missing, tying Iowa’s Luka Garza. Huff had the most made field goals by a West Coast Conference player this season and the most points since Julian Strawther’s 40-point game in 2023 while becoming just the fifth GU player in the last 20 years with 16 made field goals.

“It’s pretty cool, but obviously couldn’t have done it without these guys,” Huff said. “I think just B-Smith (Braeden Smith), just the way he was facilitating the offense tonight and finding me. When Steele (Venters) is knocking down shots and hitting at a high clip like he always does, you can’t really help on the ball. Then the rest of the guys, too, so it made my job pretty easy.”

As a collective, Gonzaga’s task got more challenging midway through the second half.

Campbell resisted Huff’s scoring barrage in the first 20 minutes and, after going down 55-36 at the halftime break, rallied to trim Gonzaga’s lead to 10 points on a pair of DJ Smith free throws with 9 minutes, 35 seconds to play.

The Zags didn’t help themselves out, committing a season-high 15 turnovers, and the job got harder when Ike went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul at the 10-minute, 29-second mark. He wouldn’t return to the game, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, but also four of Gonzaga’s 15 turnovers.

“I thought Campbell did a great job, they applied a lot of ball pressure on the perimeter so it was hard to find those posts,” Few said. “Their posts were kind of rugged and physical and bodied us up, bodied us out. Fronting, not just allowing our guys touches and (for Huff) to put 37 on that, being so efficient, is amazing.”

The Zags broke away for good when Smith knocked down a key 3-pointer and Venters followed with one of his own a few possessions later, stretching the lead out to 15 points. Those accounted for just two of Gonzaga’s five 3-pointers on a night when the Zags were more than happy to play through the advantage down low, piling up a 64-38 advantage in paint points.

Venters finished with 13 points, hitting 3 of 4 shots from the 3-point line, and Smith added 11 points, five assists and three steals.

Reserve guard Adam Miller went down with a lower-body injury in the first half after contesting a 3-point shot and picking up a foul. Miller didn’t return to the game after that but stayed on Gonzaga’s bench and didn’t seem to be in any severe pain.

“Came down weird when he got called for that foul on the 3,” Miller said. “Just had some ankle pain.”

The Fighting Camels were led by big man Dovydas Butka, a Pepperdine transfer who finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Smith, Campbell’s leading scorer, added 18 points but did so on inefficient shooting (4 of 14).

The Zags (11-1) close out their nonconference schedule against Oregon (5-5) at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Moda Center in Portland. It will mark Gonzaga’s ninth game against a power conference opponent this season and the team’s third matchup with the Big Ten.