Gonzaga throttles Maryland to advance to Players Era Festival championship

Mark Few and Gonzaga beat Maryland by 39 points on Tuesday in Las Vegas

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) shoots a three pointer in the first half against Maryland Terrapins in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs knew they not only needed to defeat the Maryland Terrapins on Tuesday in Las Vegas, but they needed to win by at least 13 points in order to compete for a championship in the Players Era Festival on Wednesday.

Mission accomplished.

Behind an incredible shooting night across the board, and a career-high from reserve wing Emmanuel Innocenti, Gonzaga blasted the Terrapins by a final score of 100-61 to set up a matchup against Dusty May and the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday. Tip is slated for 6:30 PM PT.

Save for an ugly stretch late in the first half, where Maryland went on a 16-4 run, Gonzaga absolutely dominated the Terps - shooting 58% from the field, posting an incredible 30 assists to just 12 turnovers, and out-rebounding Maryland 39-29.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Gonzaga's dominant win over Maryland on Tuesday:

1. The Emmanuel Innocenti game

Every opposing coach knows they have to gameplan against Graham Ike, and Braden Huff, and Tyon Grant-Foster. But the challenge is slowing down everyone else, and not knowing which of the team's many strong role players will step up on any given night.

Tuesday in Vegas, it was Emmanuel Innocenti. The 6'5 wing - who had never scored in double figures while in a Gonzaga uniform - dropped 15 points against Maryland, shooting a scorching hot 5-7 from three while playing his trademark brand of physical on-ball defense.

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) passes while defended by Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1). | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

His decision to blow a kiss to the Maryland crowd - directly in front of a referee - resulted in a technical foul and a tongue lashing from coach Few, but that was about the only mistake he made all game long.

With Innocenti's offensive contributions catching up to his outstanding defense, Gonzaga's depth gets another major boost - giving them arguably the deepest 10-man rotation in college basketball.

2. Everything is better when the three ball is falling

There weren't many things Gonzaga wasn't doing well coming into Tuesday's game against Maryland, although one of them was shooting the three-ball.

Not anymore.

Gonzaga was scorching hot from the perimeter for all 40 minutes against the Terrapins, ultimately finishing 14-33 (42%) from beyond the arc. Gonzaga's previous season-high for made threes was nine, set against Creighton back on Nov. 11, but the Zags managed to top that in the closing seconds of the first half when Steele Venters hit his first of four on the night.

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Adam Miller (23) shoots a three-pointer in the first half against Maryland Terrapins in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Innocenti led the team with five, but all in all, seven different players hit at least one three on Tuesday, with Innocenti and Venters combining to go 10-14.

Gonzaga is already a borderline unstoppable force offensively, but when the entire team is hitting from the outside? There just isn't much anyone can do to slow them down.

3. Point guard play

Mario Saint-Supery was spectacular on Monday against Alabama, playing 32 minutes while his counterpart, Braeden Smith, played just eight.

However, Smith was more than ready when his number was called on Tuesday, finishing with five points, five assists, and five steals while shooting 2-3 from the field and knocking down his lone three point attempt. He was incredibly active defensively and had multiple highlight passes in transition, and it's borderline unfair to have him coming off the bench at the one.

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Braeden Smith (3) passes the ball in the first half against Maryland Terrapins. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Saint-Supery was once again in command of Gonzaga's offense, finishing with nine assists and just two turnovers. While his outside shot wasn't falling, Saint-Supery still had a very positive impact on this game on both ends of the floor, and his behind-the-back pass to Braden Huff late in the second half was one of many highlights on the night.