San Francisco head coach reacts to loss vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Zags take care of business against the Dons in the Bay Area

San Francisco Dons head coach Chris Gerlufsen looks on during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Led by Graham Ike's 22 points, Gonzaga cruised to an 80-59 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday in the final regular-season meeting between the West Coast Conference foes.

The Pac-12-bound Bulldogs extended their win streak over the Dons to 35, as they held Chris Gerlufsen's squad to just 5-of-24 from behind the arc and scored 17 points off 13 turnovers in the 21-point route from the Chase Center.

Here's what Gerlufsen had to say about San Francisco's rivalry with Gonzaga, his team's performance and Emmanuel Innocenti's impact after the game.

On not facing Gonzaga in conference play after this season

"I'm going to be personally disappointed to not have the opportunity to compete against them in the regular season and conference tournament. It feels like every year we've matched up with them in the semifinals. I'm going to miss those opportunities as a competitor."

"What they've done over the last 20 years — everyone associated with their program should be super proud of that, from players and coaches. So yeah, I'm going to miss the opportunity. Hopefully we have a chance to meet up with them again in Vegas. We'll see what shakes out here with the conference standings."

On Gonzaga limiting San Francisco's effectiveness from 3-point range

"I thought they did a really good job of being a little bit more sticky on the on the perimeter."

Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Dons forward Mookie Cook (1) looks to pass the ball during the first half against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) at Chase Center. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

"We did not do a great job of taking what the defense gave us. I thought in the first half, our ability to just give ourselves up and get something on a back cut or get something going towards the rim — that maybe would have alleviated some of the pressure on the perimeter. But we had a hard time getting into those kinds of situations. And credit to them; we shot the ball well up there. I'm assuming that was a big part of the game prep."

On how Gonzaga pulled away midway through the first half

"I just felt like we missed some good shots. I thought in the first half, I thought we had some clean 3s that we didn't make. Our ability to just value the ball and keep them out of transition, I thought that was a separator in the first half."

Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) shoots the ball during the second half against San Francisco Dons forward David Fuchs (8) at Chase Center. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

"I thought we were relatively good in our half-court defense. In the first half, Ike made some shots that we were kind of willing to live with. Going into the game, you have to pick something; can't take away everything with him. And credit to him, he made some of those shots."

On Emmanuel Innocenti's impact

"He's an unsung player that doesn't get talked about enough. He's a winning player. He generally guards the other other team's best perimeter guy. He takes great pride in that. I think he's tough, he's physical and he had a lot of winning plays. He went to the offensive glass, he got us on some cuts. He just kind of does whatever is required to be a difference maker for them."

Feb 18, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) defends against San Francisco Dons forward David Fuchs (8) during the first half at Chase Center. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

"You need guys like that, and I think he's extremely valuable for their team. Credit to him for finding ways to affect the game and be a difference maker."