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Gonzaga Basketball

No. 10 Gonzaga struggles defensively in first half, offensively in second in 76-63 loss to No. 5 UConn

Connecticut Huskies guard Tristen Newton (2) battles against defensive pressure from Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) and guard Dusty Stromer (4) during the second half of of a college basketball game on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Connecticut Huskies won the game 76-63. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Connecticut Huskies guard Tristen Newton (2) battles against defensive pressure from Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) and guard Dusty Stromer (4) during the second half of of a college basketball game on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Connecticut Huskies won the game 76-63. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

SEATTLE – Several things Gonzaga had been doing well – fast starts, 3-point defense, balanced offense – were absent in the first half.

When the Zags strung together some stops in the second half, their offense cooled off and prevented them from making a run.

No. 5 Connecticut took full advantage, dominating at both ends of the court to hand the 10th-ranked Zags a 76-63 loss in front of a pro-GU crowd of 16,405 Friday at the Seattle Tip-Off at Climate Pledge Arena.

“We need to have everybody play really good in a game like this,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said, “and that didn’t happen.”

Gonzaga slipped to 8-3, the first time the Zags have had three losses after 11 games since the 2015-16 season. The Zags dropped to 0-2 against top-five teams and 0-3 in Quad 1 games. UConn improved to 10-1, including a 3-1 mark against teams ranked in the top 15.

Gonzaga had raced out to double-digit leads in the first 10 minutes in six of the past seven games, but it was all UConn early. The Huskies led 11-4 with 7-foot-2 sophomore Donovan Clingan scoring eight points from close range. Gonzaga fought back behind Ryan Nembhard and Anton Watson, cutting the deficit to two on three occasions.

The Zags finally slowed down Clingan – he hit just two free throws the rest of the half – but they left high-percentage shooters open on the perimeter. Cam Spencer, a grad transfer from Rutgers who came in hitting 45.6% on 3-pointers, buried 3s on consecutive possessions and Tristen Newton added another to put the Huskies on top 35-27.

“They execute offensively really well,” Gonzaga forward Anton Watson said. “Their bigs are really big and they finish down low. You can’t let Spencer and Newton get hot or they’re going to hurt you, and that’s kind of what they did.”

Spencer connected again and Solomon Ball hit with 46 seconds left in the half to stretch UConn’s lead to 45-32. Nembhard scored inside – the Creighton transfer and Watson each had 13 first-half points – and Stephon Castle misfired on an open 3 as the Huskies took a 45-34 lead at halftime.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) is wrapped up by Connecticut Huskies guard Hassan Diarra (10) late during the second half of of a college basketball game on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Connecticut Huskies won the game 76-63. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) is wrapped up by Connecticut Huskies guard Hassan Diarra (10) late during the second half of of a college basketball game on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Connecticut Huskies won the game 76-63. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

“They were terrific,” Few said of UConn, which thumped GU 82-54 in the Elite Eight last March. “I was just talking with Danny (Hurley, UConn coach) outside, Clingan played great. He really hurt us. I thought he hurt us more than (Purdue’s Zach) Edey hurt us, quite frankly.

“And we knew the shooters could shoot. They run some nice actions and made us pay when we didn’t quite hit our coverages, so they deserve a ton of credit for that.”

Gonzaga’s defense made strides in the second half, but so did UConn’s. The Zags trailed by 18 early in the second half but pulled within 11 after a pair of Watson free throws.

UConn’s Alex Karaban was left wide open under the basket and hit a layup. He followed with another layup and GU fell behind 66-51.

Gonzaga made one more run, closing to 68-58 with 4 minutes left. Clingan dunked home a lob pass and Hassan Diarra scored a transition layup after a GU turnover to restore a 14-point advantage.

The Zags made just 30% from the field in the second half.

“I think our guys figured out when we got up and pressured them especially in middle third of the floor, they did a great job with that,” Few said. “The effort was great, we fought and fought. I applauded our guys for that. It’s tough to make enough plays on offense to stay in the game.”

Clingan finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. Spencer added 15 points and Karaban chipped in 11.

“The difference between last year and this year is that defensive intensity, that identity, to be able to win a game by getting stops,” Hurley said. “We shot the cover off the ball in the first half and the second half we didn’t make a 3 (0 of 8), so we won it with defense. That’s what elite teams do.”

Watson, who led Gonzaga with 20 points, hobbled off the court after a dunk in the closing seconds. He said it was just a cramp and nothing serious. Nembhard added 15 points and six rebounds while logging 40 minutes. They were the only two players in double figures.

The Zags made just 39% from the field – their second lowest of the season behind 37.7% against Purdue. Their 3-point shooting woes continued. GU was 2 of 12 behind the arc and has made just 12 of 54 in its past three games.

UConn posted the best shooting percentage (55.8) against the Zags this season. The previous highs: USC at 47% and Purdue at 46.7%.