Gonzaga yields 100 points for first time in McCarthey history, drops second straight game in 103-99 loss to Santa Clara

Gonzaga came out of its first loss this week focused on improving at the defensive end and finding a way to execute in the late-game situations that have stumped Mark Few’s team at almost every turn this season.
Even without addressing the first item on the list, Gonzaga still had an opportunity to come up with a solution for the second in the late stages of Saturday’s West Coast Conference game against Santa Clara.
Two days after giving up 97 points in an overtime loss at Oregon State, another poor defensive outing from Gonzaga allowed Santa Clara to hit 12 second-half 3-pointers and establish a 13-point lead with less than 5 minutes remaining at McCarthey Athletic Center.
After burning through his file folder of defensive strategies, coach Mark Few finally landed on a full-court press with a smaller, quicker lineup that excluded bigs Graham Ike and Braden Huff.
Gonzaga’s defensive activity and intensity – things fans had been waiting to see since the second half of a Jan. 11 game against Washington State – were effective for long stretches, forcing Santa Clara into six late turnovers, but Broncos hero Tyeree Bryan delivered his seventh 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play, ultimately sinking the Bulldogs 103-99 in front of their home crowd.
Defense remains the main item on Gonzaga’s agenda – and potentially the only one for the foreseeable future – if the Bulldogs hope to snap out of their first two-game losing skid in WCC play since 2014. Gonzaga has yielded 200 points in its past two games, giving up 100 points in the Kennel for the first time in building history.
“That late group, they flew around and made plays and got us back into it,” Few said. “Just got stuck with one more rotation and they’re obviously finding the right guy at the end of those rotations, because we were having to help and we were mismatched in the post. That was the one thing I felt great about was that last group, really. Flew around and kind of showed the heart our teams need to show.”
As for the 38 minutes preceding Gonzaga’s admirable closing stretch?
“The rest of the night defensively, we were just on ice skates, basically, and probably shuffled through every defense we had,” Few said. “A couple worked for a possession or two. Again, I think last game they shot 5% from 3 against Loyola (Marymount). Eighteen (3s), I’ve never seen that on one of our teams.”

Among the other records GU fans won’t care to revisit after a sixth loss? The Zags gave up 18 3-pointers for the first time in the arena’s history while losing consecutive games for the second time this season. Before 2024-25, Gonzaga hadn’t dropped consecutive games since 2018-19.
Bryan also guaranteed a line for himself in GU’s record book after scoring 35 points, topping his previous career high by 13 points – set at Charleston Southern – while matching the second-highest total by an opposing player at McCarthey Athletic Center. The senior guard was averaging 9.7 points and 1.7 3s per game entering Saturday’s game before getting loose for a career-high seven 3s against Gonzaga.
“They’re a good squad, Bryan had it going today,” Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman said. “Usually, dudes who’ve got it going, we try to cut their water off at halftime. He was just hot, so it happens.”
Behind a flurry of 3s, Santa Clara established its largest lead of the game on Christoph Tilly’s layup to put the Broncos up 93-80 with 4 minutes, 27 seconds remaining. By that point, the Broncos had drilled 11 3s in the second half and 17 in the game.
In a dire situation, the Zags went to their pressure defense in the final minutes, capitalizing with eight points off Broncos turnovers as they closed the deficit to three points on Hickman’s 3-pointer and then again on Ben Gregg’s two free throws.
But Bryan hit a 3-pointer off a turnover from Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi, who was looking to slip a pass into Gregg, and Santa Clara made five free throws inside the final minute to secure its first win at the Kennel since 2007.
Gonzaga’s first home loss this season, and first loss in a Quad 2 scenario, should drop the Bulldogs out of the AP Top 25 rankings and could have at-large NCAA Tournament ramifications as they move closer to the bubble – a position in which few expected this team to be entering the 2024-25 season, and certainly not after a crushing 101-63 blowout of No. 8 Baylor in the season opener.
“Missing assignments and our energy, our spirit, that’s pretty much the two (things),” Hickman said. “We can’t play like that. Dead. Got to have some heart, got to show it.”
Hickman led Gonzaga and matched his career high with 24 points while point guard Ryan Nembhard scored 16 points and dished out a career-high 15 assists, falling one assist shy of Blake Stepp’s school record.
Ike had 21 points before being whistled for separate flagrant and technical fouls in the span of a minute. Gregg finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Santa Clara, the third consecutive opponent to finish better than 50% shooting from the field against Gonzaga, made 36 of 67 (53%) and 18 of 38 (47%) on 3-pointers.
Adama Bal scored 20 points and Tilly added 17 for the Broncos.
The Zags (14-6, 5-2) have their longest layoff since WCC play started and won’t be back on the floor until Saturday, when they visit Portland (6-14, 1-6) for a 5 p.m. tipoff at the Chiles Center.