Recap and highlights: Standout game from Braeden Smith leads No. 7 Zags by Oregon
PORTLAND – Mark Few’s deep rotation has allowed seventh-ranked Gonzaga to win a variety of different ways as the Zags blitzed through one of the more challenging nonleague schedules they’ve played under the 27th-year coach.
Sunday’s formula involved big-time play from the big men, a steady drizzle of 3-point shooting and huge bench contributions from a backup point guard.
Braden Huff and Graham Ike combined to score 37 points, Braeden Smith delivered a season-high 21 points off the bench and Gonzaga connected 10 times from behind the arc to pull away from Oregon late in the second half for a 91-82 win at the Portland Trail Blazers’ Moda Center.
It capped one of the most impressive nonconference schedules the Zags have played under Few. Gonzaga won eight nonleague games against high-major programs for the first time in school history and came out of the schedule with just one blip – a 40-point loss to second-ranked Michigan in the championship of the Players Era Festival.
The Zags enter their final season in the West Coast Conference with a 12-1 record and 11 of their wins coming by double figures.
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In a lot of ways, Sunday’s victory looked a lot like the last 11. Even with occasional resistance from Oregon big man Nate Bittle, Huff and Ike were still able to produce for the Zags, combining to make 13 shots from the field. Coming off a career-high 37-point outing against Campbell, Huff scored 20 points on 9 of 16 from the field.
Ike didn’t make a shot from the field until late in the first half, but still finished with seventh double-double, scoring 17 points to go with 11 rebounds. Ike was 4 of 14 from the field, but made 9 of 11 shots from the free throw line.
Smith, who started in GU’s first four game before moving to the bench in favor of freshman Mario Saint-Supery, was productive in 26 bench minutes, making 7 of 10 shots from the field. The junior transfer had seven assists with zero turnovers and tallied two steals. Gonzaga finished plus- with Smith on the floor Sunday.
One week after UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau dropped 16 points in the first half of GU’s 82-72 victory in Seattle, Oregon’s Bittle caused many of the same issues for the Zags’ defensive frontcourt, totaling 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting with six rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Bittle, a former Gonzaga target, continued his scoring eruption in the second half to finish with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting, 3 of 8 from the 3-point line and 5 of 5 from the field. He also had five assists and four blocks.
Gonzaga withstood Bittle’s buckets and a sluggish offensive stretch near the end of the first half – the Zags missed seven straight shots and went 4 minutes, 49 seconds without a field goal – to take a 42-39 halftime lead on Tyon Grant-Foster’s buzzer 3-pointer.
The Zags (12-1) have a six-day layoff before returning to the court on Dec. 28, when they begin their 36th and final season in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga opens against Pepperdine (5-8) at Firestone Fieldhouse before visiting San Diego (5-6) two days later at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
First half
13:50 - Oregon 12, GU 11: Both teams have hit multiple 3-pointers in the early going, including two made by Steele Venters.
Venters is up to 6 points and 2 assists.
11:30 - GU 17, Oregon 16: Gonzaga is shooting 5 of 7 on 3-pointers so far.
Adam Miller and Venters have made two each. Nate Bittle has 7 points for the Ducks.
8:17 - GU 26, Oregon 23: The Zags went on a 12-2 run to open up an 8-point lead before the Ducks regained their form.
Bittle leads all scorers with 12 points. Huff has 10 points for GU.
3:35 - Oregon 33, GU 30: The Ducks have pulled ahead after a prolonged scoring drought by the Zags.
Gonzaga has made one out of its last nine field goal attempts.
Halftime
In a seesaw first half, Tyon Grant-Foster helps Gonzaga take a 42-39 lead into the locker rooms with a 3-pointer as time expires.
The Bulldogs are 8 of 15 on 3-pointers, three makes coming from Adam Miller.
Huff leads the Zags with 10 points followed closely by Miller’s 9.
Bittle has 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Second half
15:38 - GU 50, Oregon 44: Graham Ike starting to assert himself on the interior.
GU’s big man has matched Huff with a team-high 12 points and is 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
13:29 - GU 59, Oregon 47: Gonzaga has used a 13-3 run to extend its lead to double figures.
Huff has a team-high 14 points but had to leave the game after picking up his third foul.
11:37 - GU 61, Oregon 53: Zags upping their aggression in the second half, now up to 12 of 13 from the line.
Bittle keeping Oregon within shouting distance with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
7:07 - GU 73, Oregon 65: Oregon continues to shoot better than 50% from the field but can’t cut into the Zags’ lead.
GU has four players in double figures scoring, including 13 points from reserve Braeden Smith.
4:16 - GU 82, Oregon 67: A circus drive and finish by Smith and another 3-pointer from Venters helps push Gonzaga’s lead to 15.
0:29 - GU 89, Oregon 80: Gonzaga is closing in on its 12th win of the season. The Zags will have to execute from the free throw line over the final 29 seconds.
Starting 5s
Gonzaga: Mario Saint-Supery, Steele Venters, Emmanuel Innocenti, Braden Huff, Graham Ike.
Oregon: Jackson Shelstad, Sean Stewart, Takai Simpkins, Kwame Evans Jr., Nate Bittle.
Pregame
No. 7 Gonzaga has reached the end of its nonconference schedule, with one more marquee matchup against the Big Ten’s Oregon in Portland. The game, scheduled to tip at 3 p.m., is streaming exclusively on Peacock.
The Zags (11-1) are fresh off beating No. 25 UCLA in Seattle 82-72 and cruising past Campbell 98-70 at McCarthey Athletic Center.
Oregon (6-5), led by former GU recruiting targets Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, suffered a five-game losing streak from late November into early December before earning consecutive wins against UC Davis and Portland.
Played at the Moda Center in downtown Portland, there will be plenty of Gonzaga and Oregon fans in attendance. For one basketball fan — former SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett — it’s a game pitting his alma mater (Oregon) against his hometown team (Gonzaga).
Gonzaga begins West Coast Conference play at Pepperdine on Dec. 28.
Game preview
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