Freshman Foxwell spurs Portand’s upset over No. 6 Gonzaga | 3 takeaways

Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 87-80 road loss to Portland on Wednesday at the Chiles Center.

Foxwell torches defense

Portland’s Joel Foxwell, a 6-foot-1 guard from Melbourne, Australia, stung the Zags from the opening tip. He had nine points as Portland bolted in front 15-5.

The crafty freshman repeatedly beat defenders off the dribble to score or feed teammates for open looks when GU collapsed around him in the lane. He hit his first four shots, then shifted into assist mode for the remainder of the half.

Foxwell, operating against Emmanuel Innocenti, perhaps GU’s best on-ball perimeter defender, had 13 points, four assists and four rebounds as the Pilots led 39-33 at half.

He got busy early in the second half with three field goals, including a tough bank shot, and two assists as the Pilots led 57-48 at the 13-minute mark. He nailed a pair of 3s as Portland’s lead reached 71-58 with 7:20 left.

Foxwell, who battled leg cramps in the final 7 minutes, matched his career high with 27 points, eight assists and four boards in 39 minutes.

It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Foxwell has been one of the better freshmen guards in the country, averaging 15.3 points and a WCC-leading 6.8 assists. He ranks third nationally in total assists.

Foxwell has shined against the best teams in the West Coast Conference. He put up 20 points and 15 assists against Santa Clara and dropped 27 points on Saint Mary’s, which scraped out a 75-69 win over the Pilots a few weeks ago.

GU defense struggles

The Zags’ defense was instrumental in five consecutive wins without injured forward Braden Huff – three of those minus post Graham Ike – but they were worked over by Portland.

The Pilots found quality looks inside and outside, thanks to Foxwell’s ability to create opportunities for himself and teammates. Portland made 51.6% of its shots in the opening half and surprisingly held a 20-8 edge in paint points.

It got worse for the Zags in the closing half. Foxwell stayed hot and several teammates heated up as Portland connected on 12 of its first 15 shots (80%) to build a 73-58 lead with 7:10 remaining.

Center Jermaine Ballisager Webb and forwards James O’Donnell and Cameron Williams combined for 43 points on 15-of-22 shooting.

The Pilots moved past their season average (76.4) with 4:42 left.

Portland hit 69.6% from the field in the second half and 59.3% overall. The Pilots posted a 40-26 advantage in the paint. The Zags entered the game outscoring opponents 47-25 in paint points.

GU offense sputters

Gonzaga never found its stride offensively against the Pilots, who played quite a bit of zone defense, one of the reasons the Zags put up 30 3-pointers, the second most this season behind 33 attempts against Maryland.

Ike was the only Zag in double figures until Mario Saint-Supery hit his fourth 3-pointer with a minute remaining. Ike finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting while logging 35 minutes. He played 37 minutes in a win over Saint Mary’s on Saturday in his first game back from an ankle injury.

Saint-Supery added 12 points and Davis Fogle 10. Outside of Ike, the rest of the Zags made just 34.7% from the field.