Three takeaways: Emmanuel Innocenti, Adam Miller deliver big second half in Gonzaga’s win over Santa Clara
Three takeaways from Gonzaga’s 89-77 win over Santa Clara on Thursday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Innocenti rebounds with strong second half
It didn’t look like it would be Emmanuel Innocenti’s night after he picked up two early fouls and then his third with 8 minutes and change remaining in the first half.
Innocenti sat out the remainder of the half and didn’t start the second half as Tyon Grant-Foster got the nod. When Innocenti got his chance in the second half, he made the most of it.
The 6-foot-5 guard hit a big 3-pointer as Gonzaga began to pull away, 59-53. He added a pair of dunks and scored 11 of his 13 points in the closing half. Innocenti made all four of his field-goal attempts and also had four rebounds.
It was just the second time Innocenti has reached double figures this season. He scored 15 points against Maryland, his high in two years as a Zag.
Miller’s time
Adam Miller was back in the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 26 against Michigan. He started seven straight games in November and it would have been eight if an assistant coach hadn’t mistakenly entered Tyon Grant-Foster’s name instead of Miller’s in the starting lineup in the season opener against Texas Southern.
The senior guard didn’t put up big numbers, but he continued to make key plays in key moments.
Miller hit a 3-pointer early in the second half as Gonzaga took a 42-37 lead. The 6-3 Miller drew a charging foul on 6-9 Broncos forward Jake Ensminger to stymie an SCU fastbreak, reminiscent of the charge Miller drew against Seattle’s Houran Dan (6-10, 230 pounds).
Miller added a pair of free throws to give GU a 65-55 lead with 9:30 remaining. He finished with seven points, two boards and two assists.
First half blues
Gonzaga got off to a better start against Santa Clara than it did against LMU (down 14-4) and Seattle U (down 20-10) but still had one of its least productive halves of the season.
The Zags put up 37 points, scoring the last eight points to erase an eight-point deficit, and went to the locker room tied with the Broncos. Coupled with 29 points against Seattle and 33 vs. LMU, GU has had three of its four lowest scoring first halves in the last three games.
It hardly mattered against the Lions was Gonzaga had one of its best defensive efforts, holding LMU to 19 first-half points and 47 total.
The Zags managed just 29 points vs. Michigan in their lone setback. They scored at least 42 points in the other 13 first halves.
Gonzaga easily could have hit the 40s against SCU but it committed 10 turnovers on 35 possessions (nearly 29%), offsetting the Zags’ 54% shooting from the field.