Gonzaga survives major scare from Seattle with first overtime win of the season

The Seattle University Redhawks came into Friday's game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs with victories over the other three Division 1 programs in the state of Washington, and they nearly left Spokane with a clean sweep.

However, after being down as many as 14 in the second half, the Zags rallied back to force overtime and - unlike the game against San Diego on Tuesday - they got it done at the free throw line and secured a very uncomfortable 80-72 win to move to 15-1 on the year and 3-0 in conference play.

Gonzaga had just three players score in the first half and only one of them, Braden Huff, was among the starting five. That's in part because Graham Ike came off the bench in this one - likely a response to his technical foul against the Toreros earlier this week.

Even with the extra five minutes in overtime, Gonzaga only had five total players score in what was an anemic and incredibly frustrating offensive performance. The Zags ended up shooting 49% from the field but were just 4-15 (27%) from three.

The Zags were also outrebounded by Seattle, 41-40, and gave up a whopping 15 offensive rebounds - the most they have surrendered all season.

Still, a win is a win, and the Zags are now 3-0 in WCC play with one more game coming up this week on Sunday evening at home against the LMU Lions.

Below is a look at three key takeaways for Gonzaga in their very ugly win over Seattle on Friday:

1. Tyon Grant-Foster took over

Grant-Foster had three incredibly crucial buckets in the overtime period, attacking the basket and using patience to find gaps and get lay-ins right at the rim. He then drilled a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining to give Gonzaga an eight point lead, and blocked a Maldonado three to seal the game in the final seconds. It was part of another excellent performance for the 6'7 wing, who finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and a team-high five blocks - all which came on perimeter shots.

After an inconsistent performance during the non-conference slate, Grant-Foster has now scored 18 or more points in all three WCC games - and Gonzaga has desperately needed him in two of those contests.

2. Braden Huff is unstoppable

The Braden Huff 12 foot floater was about Gonzaga's only offense in the first half of this game, and even when Ike and Grant-Foster got going Huff remained wildly efficient for the Zags. He grabbed key offensive rebounds late, hit big shots around the rim, and even drilled a pair of threes on a night where the rest of the team combined to shoot 2-13 from beyond the arc.

All told the big man finished with a game-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting, with six rebounds, two steals, and an assist. He had three of Gonzaga's eight offensive boards and was easily the most impactful player on the floor in the 39 total minutes he logged.

Huff is Gonzaga's leading scorer and one of the most efficient two point shooters in the country, and even against an excellent defensive team he found a way to get it done on Friday in Spokane.

3. Where was the supporting cast?

Gonzaga went the entire first half with only three players - Huff, Ike, and Grant-Foster - scoring. The hallmark for Gonzaga this season has been the team's excellent depth, and it was nearly non-existent on Friday night.

Braeden Smith hit a three a few minutes into the second half, but it wasn't until Adam Miller hit a deep two with under eight minutes to go that Gonzaga had their fifth different scorer on the night - and that remained the case even with overtime, with only Huff, Ike, Grant-Foster, Smith, and a bucket from Miller in the scoring column.

Three of Gonzaga's five starters - Innocenti (0-2), Warley (0-0) and Venters (0-4) - were held scoreless, while Saint-Supery continued his significant struggles after going 0-5 off the bench with three fouls in just 15 minutes.

Gonzaga got the win thanks the Huff, Ike, and another excellent game from Grant-Foster, but they will need the team's supporting cast to step up in a major way if they want to win the WCC one more time and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Add us as a preferred source on Google