Gonzaga turns defense into offense in 83-53 blowout over WSU | 3 takeaways

Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 83-53 victory over Washington State on Tuesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Defense to offense

The Zags ran every time they had a chance – and they had a lot of opportunities, courtesy of WSU’s 11 turnovers in the first half.

Gonzaga capitalized on the Cougars’ miscues with a first-half shutout: 17-0 in points off turnovers. GU repeatedly poked the ball away when the Cougars caught entry passes or drove into the lane, leading to a 15-2 advantage in fastbreak points.

Six Zags had at least one steal in the first half.

Meanwhile, GU had three turnovers in the first half after committing only two in 40 minutes against the Beavers on Saturday.

WSU’s 21 first-half points were a season low for a half. The Cougars, who average 37.2 points in the first half this season, were held to 22 by Seattle U in a road loss and 23 vs. Oregon State in Corvallis.

The Cougars finished with 21 turnovers with GU holding a 31-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Starters and bench productive

Graham Ike poured in 35 points in Saturday’s win over Oregon State, but GU’s other four starters only managed 18 points combined.

That wasn’t the case Tuesday as Ike put up 10 first-half points and fellow starters Adam Miller, Braeden Smith, Emmanuel Innocenti and Jalen Warley combined for 21, led by Miller’s 11.

The bench wasn’t far behind with 17 points in the opening half behind Mario Saint-Supery’s eight and Davis Fogle adding seven as Gonzaga raced to a 48-21 halftime lead. GU shot 62% from the field, including 71.4% on 2-pointers.

Ike finished with 20 points, the four other starters chipped in 30 and the bench contributed 33.

Zags hit free throws, misfire from 3

It’s a small sample size, but Gonzaga posted its best two-game stretch of accuracy at the free-throw line. After nailing 14 of 16 against Oregon State, the Zags made their first 11 on Tuesday before their first miss came on a lane violation.

Gonzaga finished 12 of 14. That’s in stark contrast to GU’s season-long average of 69.3% – No. 274 nationally – entering the game.

Ike connected on all four of his foul shots, boosting his season average to 78.7%.

Gonzaga continued to struggle behind the 3-point arc. GU was just 1 of 6 in the opening half and finished 3 of 13 (23.1%). The Zags haven’t shot above 35.3% from distance in each of their last seven games.