Recap and highlights: Mario Saint-Supery leads shorthanded Zags to win against Redhawks
SEATTLE – Gonzaga was able to withstand one road West Coast Conference game without a member of its touted starting frontcourt. The task of doing that for the second time in three days became significantly more challenging when Graham Ike joined Braden Huff on the injury report, missing Saturday’s game at Seattle U with right ankle soreness.
More challenging, but not impossible.
The ninth-ranked Zags needed to deliver on a number of fronts without the two frontcourt stars that were averaging nearly 36 combined points entering this week’s road swing against Washington State and Seattle U.
Mario Saint-Supery stepped up in a huge way for shorthanded Gonzaga, fellow freshman Davis Fogle provided a spark off the bench and Mark Few’s team turned an eight-point halftime lead into a comfortable double-digit advantage in the second half, cruising to a 71-50 win over the Redhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
It signified the 12th straight victory for Gonzaga, which is off to the fifth-best start in program history at 19-1 overall and 7-0 in WCC play. The Zags also moved into first place in the WCC standings, jumping previously unbeaten Saint Mary’s, which took its first conference loss against Santa Clara earlier Saturday evening.
Gonzaga, out of necessity, tweaked its starting lineup for the 10th time this season, moving sophomore center Ismaila Diagne into the first five in place of Ike, who was categorized as “day to day” by a school official.
Diagne was a defensive anchor for Gonzaga and finished with three points to go with eight rebounds, but the Zags took off in the second half when they switched to a smaller lineup that featured Saint-Supery as the primary ballhandler and wing Jalen Warley as the small-ball center.
Saint-Supery found his shooting groove in a hurry, finishing with a career-high 20 points and 11 in the second half. The Spanish native finished 7 of 10 from the field and 4 of 6 from the 3-poit line while also delivering a team-high four assists.
Fogle made his first appearance at the opening media timeout and supplied more scoring for the Zags, totaling 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting to go along with six rebounds.
Gonzaga had contributions from a number of other sources in a game where it was needed. Making his second straight start, Warley finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Fellow wing Tyon Grant-Foster had nine points and nine rebounds for the Zags, who were dominant on the glass against a Seattle U team that rebounded them in the first meeting between the teams.
Few’s team had a 44-24 advantage in total rebounds and 13-6 advantage on the offensive glass, scoring 14 total second-chance points.
Seattle U won the opening tip and right at Diagne on the game’s first possession. The sophomore held up strong against fellow 7-footer Austin Maurer, forcing a missed jump hook before grabbing the defensive rebound. Diagne, making his first career start, blocked Maurer’s layup attempt a few possessions later and had seven of his eight rebounds by halftime before encountering foul trouble in the second.
Sparked by Saint-Supery’s perimeter shooting, the Zags went on an extended 16-4 run midway through the second half to pull away from the Redhawks, who were limited to 26 points after the break. Seattle finished shooting just 19 of 53 (35%), 5 of 21 (23.8%) from the 3-point line and committed 18 turnovers.
Brayden Maldonado led the Redhawks with 12 points, but made just 5 of 12 shots from the field and went 1 of 7 from the 3-point line.
Gonzaga (19-1, 6-0) resumes WCC play next Wednesday against Pepperdine (6-14, 1-6) at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Zags beat the Waves 96-56 on Dec. 28 in Malibu for their 50th consecutive victory in the all-time series between the schools.
First half
15:59 - SU 6, GU 2: The Redhawks open the game with a pair of made 3-pointers.
The Zags are 1 of 5. Braeden Smith has the lone made field goal.
11:29 - GU 16, SU 11: Gonzaga surges ahead and is shooting 50% from the field.
Six Zags have made a field goal, led by Davis Fogle’s four points.
7:55 - GU 22, SU 13: Balanced scoring and efficient shooting has helped GU withstand the losses of Ike and Huff.
Mario Saint-Supery has a team-high six points.
3:46 - GU 26, SU 20: Gonzaga’s defense has stepped up in the first half.
The Redhawks are shooting 33% from the field and 30% from 3-point range.
Halftime
Gonzaga has turned up its defense in the absence of Ike and Huff, taking a 32-24 lead into halftime against Seattle U.
Mario Saint-Supery leads all scorers with nine points and is 3 of 4 from the field. Eight Zags have scored at least two points.
Seattle U, which led for most of regulation during the first meeting, has struggled to find rhythm on offense and is shooting 35% from the field. Brayden Maldonado leads the Redhawks with seven points.
Second half
15:41 - GU 34, SU 26: Both teams are struggling on the offensive end to start the half. The Zags’ shooting percentage has dropped to 35.
11:05 - GU 43, SU 35: Gonzaga electrifies the crowd with dunks on consecutive possessions.
Tyon Grant Foster finished an alley-oop from Jalen Warley before Fogle drove for a baseline dunk.
7:13 - GU 53, SU 42: Gonzaga has its largest lead of the game after a putback by Fogle.
Saint-Supery leads all scorers with 17 points.
5:38 - GU 61, SU 44: Saint-Supery drills a 3-pointer, prompting a timeout by Seattle U.
Saint-Supery is up to 20 points to go along with four assists.
2:42 - GU 67, SU 46: Zags have pulled away, outscoring Seattle U 35-22 in the second half.
Fogle and Warley have scored 12 points, each.
Starting 5s
Gonzaga: Braeden Smith, Adam Miller, Emmanuel Innocenti, Jalen Warley, Ismaila Diagne.
Seattle U: Brayden Maldonado, Maleek Arington, Will Heimbrodt, Austin Maurer, Junseok Yeo.
Pregame
In its second game without star forward Braden Huff, ninth-ranked Gonzaga will attempt a season sweep of the team that came closest to handing GU its first West Coast Conference loss.
Seattle U for led much of the first meeting on Jan. 2 in the Kennel before Gonzaga battled back to force overtime and ultimately win 80-72.
The Zags will also get another look at former player Junseok Yeo. Yeo has surged for the Redhawks lately, scoring 48 total points against Saint Mary’s, Oregon State and San Diego.
Graham Ike will also miss tonight’s game after it was reported he was out due to right ankle soreness.
Game preview
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