Analysis: No. 13 Gonzaga pounds Southern Utah 122-50 while setting Div. I margin of victory record

After the first seven minutes one might have assumed it was Southern Utah, not Gonzaga, playing its fourth game in nine days.

The 13th-ranked Zags held the Thunderbirds scoreless for four minutes to open Monday’s game at McCarthey Athletic Center, had a 15-point lead after seven minutes and somehow managed to close better than they started after establishing a 32-point advantage in the first half.

Gonzaga outscored Southern Utah by 40 points after the break and eventually set the program record for margin of victory against a Division I opponent with a 122-50 runaway win at the Kennel.

A 120-42 victory against NAIA Eastern Oregon in 2022 still holds the title for largest margin of victory in school history, but Monday’s point total now checks in at No. 2 on the list, topping GU’s 66-point win over the same EOU team in 2023 and a 61-point victory against Denver in 2018 that previously stood as the widest margin against a DI team.

Ismaila Diagne missed a dunk in the closing minute that would’ve also given the Zags their highest point total (123) under 27th-year coach Mark Few.

That might have been the only thing Gonzaga didn’t do in its final tuneup before a challenging three-game gauntlet next week at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

“I thought everybody that got in there kind of gave us great effort and I thought for the most part each of our units that we threw out there were really, really up to the task defensively,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We were hitting our coverages and flying around, being very active and getting our hands on a lot of balls. Then that led to obviously getting out on the break and running.”

Gonzaga had 13 of its 14 players score and none of the 13 finished shooting under 50% from the field. According to former ESPN statistician Jared Berson, it was the first time in at least 15 years that many players attempted a shot with none shooting below 50%.

Making his first start, freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery was the tone-setter for Gonzaga on both ends while the final score was still hanging in the balance – an admittedly short stretch of time on Monday – and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals. One more steal for the Spanish-born point guard would’ve matched Derek Raivio’s single-game program record.

Saint-Supery and Tyon Grant-Foster were new additions to the starting lineup, replacing senior guard Braeden Smith and junior forward Emmanuel Innocenti, who’s started in each of the previous four games.

“I think it doesn’t change that much,” Saint-Supery said, asked how his mindset changes as a starter as opposed to coming off the bench. “Because I always try to be focused and have the same attitude every game. I try to bring the team as much energy as I can and I try to do my best.”

Three Gonzaga players were in double digits by halftime and Braden Huff led the hosts with 22 points in 22 minutes, finishing 11 of 13 from the field. Freshman Davis Fogle was efficient off the bench, scoring 19 points in 14 minutes, and seniors Graham Ike and Adam Miller each had 13 points.

Each of Gonzaga’s five double-digit scorers finished with more points than Southern Utah’s top scorer, Elijah Duval, who had 10 on 4 -of -12 shooting and 0 of 4 from the 3-point line.

Duval also had seven of the Thunderbird’s 23 turnovers – perhaps the biggest issue Southern Utah faced as a team, particularly in the early stages of Monday’s game.

The Thunderbirds had five turnovers before scoring their first points of the evening. By that point, the Zags had already scored nine points and offensive contributions from four of their five starters.

Southern Utah, which owns the McCarthey Athletic Center record for most turnovers by an opposing team with 28 during a 38-point loss to the Zags in 2012-13, had 12 turnovers through the first 13 minutes and 14 by halftime.

The quality of opponent will escalate in a hurry for Gonzaga (5-0), which now travels to Las Vegas to play No. 11 Alabama (2-1) on Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Zags will play Big Ten foe Maryland (3-1) in the second game of the tournament and another opponent still to be determined.