Gonzaga puts on offensive show in blowout win over New Mexico State: 3 takeaways

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs put on a clinic offensively Saturday afternoon in Spokane, rolling to a 109-68 win over the New Mexico State Aggies to move to 2-0 on the year.

Gonzaga was led by a trio of 20 point scorers in Davis Fogle (22 points), Isiah Harwell (22), and Braden Huff (20) who combined to shoot a smoldering 25-36 (69.4%) from the field and 7-13 from three.

A sloppy first half defensively sent the Zags into the halftime locker room nursing a five point lead - which was nearly cut to two when a halfcourt attempt fell for New Mexico State, but was waived off upon review.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Gonzaga's 41 point win in Saturday's home opener:

Gonzaga was red hot from beyond the arc

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Isiah Harwell. | MYK CRAWFORD

Gonzaga's outside shooting has been a major talking point after last season's three point debacle, and Saturday's performance showed how critical hitting from deep can be for the Zags.

Gonzaga struggled defensively and on the boards, but kept a steady lead all game long thanks to strong perimeter scoring - ultimately finishing 13-24 (54.2%) from deep. Davis Fogle (3-6), Isiah Harwell (4-6), and Javon Bennett (2-3), knocked down big shots throughout the afternoon, and that floor spacing opened up pick and roll opportunities for Huff and Diop down low, particularly in the second half.

The Zags certainly look like a stronger three point shooting team than last year, and once Chauncey Wiggins is eligible - which could happen soon, now that he's taken his fight to Spokane county - this team will be even better from the perimeter.

Mark Few keeping rotation tight

Gonzaga men's basketball assistant coach Stephen Gentry (left) and head coach Mark Few (right). | Photo by Erik Smith

Without Izan Almansa, who sat with a leg injury, and against an opponent Gonzaga was heavily favored to beat, it seemed like Saturday would be a good opportunity for coach Few to empty out the bench and let some of the team's college basketball newcomers make their regular season debut in front of the home crowd.

But a too-close-for-comfort first half resulted in the Zags playing just seven guys for the first 14+ minutes - the starting five of Xaivian Lee, Davis Fogle, Isiah Harwell, Braden Huff, and Massamba Diop, as well as reserve guards Javon Bennett and Nathan de Sousa.

It wasn't until 5:43 in the second half that the Zags subbed in Juwan Ekanga, and at that point the score was a very convincing 93-62 in favor of Gonzaga. Eventually Luca Foster, Parker Jefferson, Sam Funches, and Alonzo Metz made their regular season debut for the Bulldogs, but not until the final few minutes.

Ekanga and Luca Foster are competing for ninth man minutes while Wiggins remains ineligible, while reserve bigs Parker Jefferson and Sam Funches are clearly on the outside of the rotation right now - with both bigs not getting into this game until the under-4 media timeout, even with Almansa not playing and both Huff and Diop in foul trouble early in the second half.

Gonzaga struggled on the glass

Gonzaga Bulldogs center Massamba Diop. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Both teams were very efficient offensively on Saturday, but when misses did happen - too often the rebound went the Aggies way. New Mexico State outrebounded Gonzaga, 16-10, in the first half, getting more second chance opportunities which largely contributed to Gonzaga's small five point halftime lead.

Gonzaga eventually won the battle on the glass, 30-26, but it was hardly a dominant performance against a much smaller team for the Bulldogs.

The absence of Izan Almansa was noticeably felt on the boards, and it's clear GU's guards and wings will have to do a better job crashing the glass going forward this season - especially against, bigger, more physical teams.

Gonzaga has a week off before the LSU Tigers come to the Spokane Arena on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 12:30 PM PT. The first ever matchup between the two schools will be broadcast on the USA Network.

Add us as a preferred source on Google