Analysis: Gonzaga survives Arizona State scare, closes out Sun Devils late for 88-80 victory
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga expected a big-time scare from the Big 12 Conference during the opening week of the college basketball season.
The Zags probably figured it would come from the first team on their nonconference calendar, with significantly lower odds it would come from the second.
After a 38-point blowout of eighth-ranked Baylor in Monday’s season opener, the real challenge came on Saturday from Arizona State – a team picked to finish eight spots lower than the Bears in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll, but one that still posed a handful of problems with a group of experienced transfers, three talented freshmen and top-end athleticism across the board.
Gonzaga withstood flurry after flurry from the Sun Devils, made a handful of timely defensive plays down the stretch – as well as a few eye-catching offensive ones – and emerged with an 88-80 victory in the home opener at McCarthey Athletic Center.
There were 15 total lead changes, eight ties and 6,000 uneasy Gonzaga fans at different points of Sunday’s matinee contest, featuring a top-10 Bulldogs team that pocketed the most impressive victory of any college basketball team this week six days earlier and a weary Sun Devils team playing its third game in six days after picking up narrow wins over Idaho State and Santa Clara in Tempe and Las Vegas.
“I think we did a good job of closing the game,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “After watching their Santa Clara game – I think Santa Clara’s going to be really good this year – we knew they were starting to figure it out. They looked tough and they looked versatile and they’ve just got a lot of guys and they all bring something different.
“Bobby (Hurley) has done a really, really nice job creating isos and we had troubles with those isos against USC and had trouble tonight. Through it all we kept playing good offense and closed really, really well.”
Arizona State set a tone early, leading 7-1 after four minutes in the first half, and the Sun Devils kept the Zags on their toes for all but a few minutes of Sunday’s game, leading by four points with less than 10 minutes to play and tying things up at 71-71 on BJ Freeman’s layup with 5 minutes, 21 seconds to play.
At that point, the Sun Devils had already stemmed the momentum Gonzaga created in its home building when Ryan Nembhard tossed a high lob to Khalif Battle, forcing the sixth-year guard to spring 3 or 4 feet into the air, coil his right arm all the way back and finish with a one-handed alley-oop.
And when Nembhard confidently knocked down an NBA-range 3-pointer, tying the game at 67-67 a few moments later, the Sun Devils hardly flinched, creating an easy layup opportunity at the other end to retake the lead.
Gonzaga finally found some breathing room inside the last four minutes, outscoring ASU 16-9 during that stretch while coming up with some key stops. With the Zags leading by two points, forward Michael Ajayi locked up ASU’s Basheer Jihad near the baseline, forcing a turnover that led to Ajayi’s second-chance layup on the other end.
Battle knocked down a 3-pointer that opened a five-point lead for the Zags and also hit six free throws inside the final five minutes. Nembhard dished up another lob – this time to a much taller target in 6-foot-10 Braden Huff – that pushed Gonzaga’s lead to six points with 1 :51 remaining.
“I thought it was a high-level game, I felt like it was,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “A lot of shot-making throughout the game. So I think we just try and grow from it, realize we just lost to maybe a team that’s projected to go to the Final Four potentially. I thought we were right there for a majority of the game.”
Huff was the first sub off Gonzaga’s bench and led the team in scoring with 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting and four rebounds. With Huff scoring efficiently against rangy ASU freshman Jayden Quaintance – the national leader in blocked shots entering Sunday’s game – the Zags went with the redshirt sophomore over starting forward Graham Ike much of the game. Huff logged 26 minutes to Ike’s 14.
Battle gave Gonzaga’s backcourt a spark with 19 points on 4 of 8 shooting, 3 of 6 from the 3-point line and 8 of 8 from the free -throw line.
Nembhard was stellar running Gonzaga’s offense once again, dishing out 11 assists for the second straight game to go along with 13 points. The senior point guard is now up to 22 assists and two turnovers in two games.
Ajayi had nine points and 12 rebounds to go with his contributions on the defensive end, which included three steals.
ASU’s scoring leader was Jihad, who had 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Alston Mason added 19 points for the Sun Devils.