Recap, analysis: Gonzaga cruises by Texas Southern for season-opening win

Bulldogs thump Tigers in 2025-26 opener from the Kennel

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Tyon Grant-Foster (7). | Photo by Myk Crawford

SPOKANE — In the span of a week, Tyon Grant-Foster went from being considered ineligible by the NCAA, to leading Gonzaga to its 22nd straight win in a season-opener.

What a difference seven days made for the 6-foot-7 forward, as he scored a team-high 15 points in the Bulldogs’ 98-43 victory over Texas Southern on Monday night.

On top of having an efficient night from the floor in his debut (5-of-7), Grant-Foster made his presence felt on the glass, snagging five rebounds and getting his hands on countless other missed attempts in his 20 minutes of action.

The jam-packed McCarthey Athletic Center certainly appreciated the extra effort, serenading the 25-year-old transfer from Grand Canyon with applause when he checked out of the game for the first time. 

Grant-Foster, who was granted a preliminary injunction last Monday, allowing him to play for the Zags in 2025-26, started alongside the Zags’ dynamic frontcourt of Braden Huff and Graham Ike. The preseason All-West Coast Conference forwards combined for 27 points, with Ike notching a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in 22 minutes of play.

Jalen Warley spearheaded a strong outing defensive from the Zags, who held the Tigers to just 25% from the floor while scoring 18 points off 17 turnovers. Warley led the charge with four steals and tacked on seven points in his Gonzaga debut.

Adam Miller chipped in 13 points against Texas Southern, which hung around for the first few minutes while Gonzaga’s new-look lineup gained its footing. That didn’t take long, though, as the Zags outscored their Southwestern Athletic Conference foe, 22-7, over the final 7 minutes and change after leading 24-20 early on.

Here is the live updates recap.

FINAL: Gonzaga 98, Texas Southern 43

2ND HALF

Gonzaga 74, Texas Southern 37 (8:57): Making his first official appearance with the Zags, Davis Fogle found Ismaila Diagne at the last second for a score inside, extending Gonzaga's gargantuan lead over Texas Southern.

Gonzaga 66, Texas Southern 33 (11:55): Anthony Andrews ended a scoring drought that spanned nearly 3 minutes with a second-chance jumper, which was answered moments later by a 3-pointer from Braeden Smith. The Bulldogs started the second half 8-of-12 from the floor.

Gonzaga 56, Texas Southern 31 (16:25): A rare technical foul was assessed on Braden Huff after the redshirt junior wanted a foul called on his last layup attempt. Huff's displeasure with the referees started with a questionable foul call against him earlier in the half.

Gonzaga 48, Texas Southern 27 (19:42): Graham Ike wasted little time settling into the second half, as the 6-foot-9 forward spun off his defender in the post and threw down a thunderous two-hand slam. Gonzaga put in Adam Miller over Tyon Grant-Foster to start the second half.

HALFTIME RECAP: Gonzaga 46, Texas Southern 27

Buckling down defensively: Gonzaga held Texas Southern to just 2-of-7 for the final 7 minutes of the half and ended the half on a 9-0 scoring run. The Zags also forced five of their 10 turnovers during the last 3 minutes of the half.

Shaking off slow start: The Tigers managed to hang around largely because the Zags couldn't find the bottom of the net consistently early on. Gonzaga missed eight of its first 10 looks from the field and had a few self-inflicted turnovers before settling in down the stretch.

Balanced offensive effort: Five players scored five or more points for Mark Few in the first half, with Braden Huff's eight points leading the way. Tyon Grant-Foster and Graham Ike had even apiece.

1ST HALF

Gonzaga 43, Texas Southern 27 (2:14): Jalen Warley knocked the ball free from Kolby Granger and took care of the rest, flushing a breakaway dunk to give the Zags their largest lead of the night.

Gonzaga 37, Texas Southern 27 (3:28): Braden Huff woke the Kennel crowd up with a crafty spin move in the lane, then hit the Drew Timme finger twirl celebration while jogging back on defense. Cameron Patterson put down a dunk moments later.

Spinmove 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/lXMakwT61P

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 4, 2025

Gonzaga 33, Texas Southern 22 (4:49): Mario Saint-Supéry got on the scoreboard for the first time in his Gonzaga career, as the freshman guard drained a 3-pointer off an assist from Steele Venters. Venters gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead at the charity stripe moments later.

Gonzaga 24 Texas Southern 20 (7:24): Gonzaga's offense hadn't managed to snap out of its lull offensively, leaning heavily on Tyon-Grant Foster and Graham Ike to get the job done coming out of the 12-minute media timeout. Those two scored nine points in a row before Braden Huff got one to drop around the rim

Gonzaga 13, Texas Southern 12 (11:51): Duane Posey brought the house down with a monster putback dunk, much to the displeasure of the Kennel crowd. Eight of the Tigers' first 12 points came in the paint. They also had four offensive rebounds early on.

Gonzaga 11, Texas Southern 10 (13:35): Adam Miller tallied his first points in a Gonzaga uniform with a 3-pointer from the left wing, set up by a screen from Jalen Warley in transition. Zags tightened up defensively but still struggled to find the bottom of the net early on.

Gonzaga 8, Texas Southern 7 (14:43): Tyon Grant-Foster gave Gonzaga its first lead with an old fashioned 3-point play, moments after the 6-foot-7 forward soared in for a defensive rebound.

Texas Southern 7, Gonzaga 5 (15:59): Emmanuel Innocenti answered a Jaylen Wysinger 3-ball with one of his own, and Gonzaga's first made field goal of the season. The Tigers came ready to play, beating the Zags on a few offensive rebounds while making it difficult for the frontcourt.

Texas Southern 4, Gonzaga 2 (17:34): After the Zags started 0-of-5 from the floor, Braden Huff tallied the team's first points of the season on a pair of made shots at the charity stripe.

PREGAME

Starting lineups: Graham Ike and Braden Huff were joined by Braeden Smith, Emmanuel Innocenti and Tyon Grant-Foster in Gonzaga's first starting lineup of the season. Texas Southern trotted out Jaylen Wysinger, Zytarious Mortle, Kolby Granger, Duane Posey and Jordan Gorecki.

Fits for Tonight‼️ pic.twitter.com/g3aZzddXVs

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 4, 2025