Davis Fogle and lockdown defense power Gonzaga to blowout win over Pepperdine

Gonzaga becomes the second team in college basketball to 20 wins after blowing out Pepperdine

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Davis Fogle (4). | Photo by Mercedes Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs became the second team in college basketball to 20 wins, coasting to a 84-60 victory over the Pepperdine Waves on Wednesday.

The Zags have now won two straight without their leading scorers, Graham Ike and Braden Huff, using outstanding defensive pressure and a new look, pick and roll heavy offense to get it done despite limited depth in the frontcourt.

Gonzaga got off to a slow start offensively on Wednesday, going into the first media timeout with just an 8-6 lead. Pepperdine hung around for a few minutes after that, but turnover issues eventually allowed Gonzaga to push the lead to 18 heading into halftime, and they never looked back.

Four Zags finished in double figures, with freshman Davis Fogle's 17 leading the way. Gonzaga also got a career night from walk-on senior Noah Haaland, who scored 10 points with four rebounds on perfect 4-4 shooting in 11 minutes.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Gonzaga's big win over Pepperdine on Wednesday:

1. The Davis Fogle Show

There aren't many things offensively that Davis Fogle hasn't already shown as a freshman. But now that the 6'7 wing has begun mastering the art of drawing contact and getting to the free throw line - the sky is truly the limit.

Fogle's 11 points led Gonzaga at halftime, and he did so shooting just 3-4 from the field while going a perfect 4-4 from the line. The young star finished with a game-high 17 points, shooting 4-8 from the field and 8-10 from the line along with a career-high four assists.

The true freshman's confidence as a scorer was on full display as soon as he entered the game. He knocked down a three off an assist from Steele Venters, and had a drive to the rim where he passed it off to Diagne, who missed the shot. The ball bounced back to Fogle on the perimeter, and he took it himself on the baseline for a thunderous two-handed slam.

Fogle has taken full advantage of the opportunity to play rotation minutes these past few games, and there is no doubt Few and the staff will have tough decisions to make when Ike and eventually Huff return to the floor. That, however, is not a bad problem to have.

2. Gonzaga's active hands defensively

No Ike and no Huff means more Jalen Warley and Tyon Grant-Foster for Gonzaga, and that means even more activity in the passing lanes defensively. Gonzaga dominated Seattle U by generating steals and getting out in transition, and they carried that recipe over to Spokane on Wednesday against the Waves - picking Pepperdine's pocket 10 times on the night, the third game in a row Gonzaga has racked up 10 or more thefts.

Mario Saint-Supery had four in his first six minutes of playing time, finishing with five, while Grant-Foster and Innocenti each added a pair of steals as well.

Gonzaga not only stifled Pepperdine by taking the ball away, they kept them off the glass and forced them into tough shots, holding the Waves to 38% shooting on the night, including just 3-22 (14%) from three.

The Zags are certainly a better team when Ike and Huff are available, but the way this group has played defensively without the two star bigs is inspiring, and proof how strong the depth truly is for coach Few in Spokane.

3. Mario Saint-Supery stays hot

Another similarity to the Seattle U game was the play of Mario Saint-Supery, who picked up right where he left off on Saturday by coming off the bench at the first media timeout and immediately getting a rebound and going coast-to-coast for a lay-in over former Zag Pavle Stosic.

The 6'3 freshman drilled a three about a minute later, and then saved a ball from going out of bounds with an epic behind the back pass, which led to an open three for Fogle.

All told the Spaniard scored 12 points on 4-7 shooting, along with five steals, five rebounds, and one assist. It's the second straight phenomenal game for the guard, who has come off the bench eight games in a row in favor of Braeden Smith.

However, Gonzaga's new look offense seems to favor the freshman, who could earn more playing time as the season goes on - especially if he keeps playing like this.

Gonzaga (20-1, 8-0) stays in Spokane for the rest of the week to prepare for Saturday's matchup with the San Francisco Dons (13-8, 5-3) which tips at 5:00 PM PT and will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.