Braeden Smith excels as Gonzaga completes non-conference with win over Oregon

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs survived a sleepy pre-Christmas Moda Center crowd to defeat the Oregon Ducks, 91-82, on Sunday afternoon. The win gives the Zags a 12-1 record in the non-conference slate, with a full week off until the team opens up conference play at Pepperdine on Sunday, Dec. 28.

Gonzaga and Oregon were within 1-2 possessions of each other for most of the first half, with a Tyon Grant-Foster three at the buzzer giving the Zags a 42-39 lead into the break.

Few's team pulled away gradually in the second half, where Braden Huff (20 points) and Graham Ike (17 points, 11 rebounds) did most of their damage after a slow start in this one.

However, the real hero was backup point guard Braeden Smith, who had far and away his best game in a Gonzaga uniform, dropping 21 points with seven assists and zero turnovers and playing the majority of the second half.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Gonzaga's win over Oregon to close out non-conference play:

1. Gonzaga's three point shot is alive and well

Gonzaga has been red hot from three this month, and Sunday's game was no exception. The Zags shot a blistering 8-15 from three in the first half, thanks to a 3-4 performance from Adam Miller off the bench and a pair of makes early in the game from Steele Venters.

Gonzaga ultimately finished 10-23 (43%) from deep, their fifth straight game shooting 37% or better from beyond the arc.

Gonzaga needed the outside shots to fall to stretch Oregon's defense - especially with Ike struggling to score in the first half - and, unlike the Michigan game, Gonzaga's backcourt delivered on Sunday.

After that 3-22 showing against Michigan in Las Vegas, Gonzaga has shot 40-86 (46.5%) in their five subsequent games, and if they can keep this momentum into WCC play it will make them even more difficult to stop.

2. Braeden Smith is a wizard

Coming into the game, the exciting matchup was between point guards Jackson Shelstad and Mario Saint-Supery. But it was Gonzaga's backup, Braeden Smith, who shone the brightest on Sunday afternoon.

Smith was incredibly active, pushing the tempo, and his work out of the pick and roll was tremendous all game long. The junior had the best game of his Gonzaga career, finishing with a season-high 21 points on 7-10 shooting, along with seven assists and 0 turnovers. He also did a great job defensively on Shelstad, contributing to the preseason All-Big Ten guard, scoring just 12 points on 2-9 shooting from three.

Gonzaga is an incredibly dangerous team with either Saint-Supery or Smith running the show, and that allows them to stay in rhythm if one of them happens to have an off night - or if Saint-Supery is feeling sick like he was on Sunday.

3. Free throw shooting

Gonzaga has a roster that should be among the best free throw shooting teams in the country, with multiple guys coming into the season with career averages above 75%. However, for most of the season it has been a source of strain - although the team made sure that wasn't an issue on Sunday.

Gonzaga finished an excellent 23-28 from the stripe, at one point knocking down 16-17. Ike shot 9-11, Smith was 6-6, and even Grant-Foster - who came into the game shooting 65.9% - went 5-6 off the bench.

The Zags needed a strong game from the line, not only to keep Oregon from mounting a comeback but to build some confidence heading into WCC play and the second half of the season.

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