Buzzer breakdown: Braden Huff provides spark off the bench, as fouls mount in Gonzaga’s win over San Diego State
SAN DIEGO – Three observations from No. 3 Gonzaga’s 80-67 win over San Diego State on Monday night at Viejas Arena.
Huff provides first-half spark
Stop us if you’ve read this before from Gonzaga’s first three games, but Braden Huff was instant offense again. This time, the 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore forward did it from distance, knocking down a pair of first-half 3-pointers that helped fueled Gonzaga’s 40-31 lead at the break.
Huff has a pure left-handed shooting stroke, but he entered the game 0 of 4 on 3s. That changed shortly after he checked in when Graham Ike picked up his second foul with 18:45 remaining in the first half. Huff scored on a layup, then buried a 3 with 15:31 left.
He added another 3-pointer with 1:59 left to boost Gonzaga’s lead to 40-31. Huff didn’t score in the second half and finished with 10 points in 20 minutes.
Fouls stack up both ways
Gonzaga picked up its seventh foul, putting SDSU into the bonus, with 13:45 left in the opening half. But it was the Zags who took advantage at the free-throw line, even before the Aztecs were called for their seventh foul.
The Zags hit 12 of 15 at the stripe while San Diego State was 5 of 6, accounting for seven of GU’s nine-point halftime lead.
The foul calls didn’t stop in the second half and Gonzaga continued to cash in at the free-throw line. The Zags finished 27 of 31, led by Ike’s 9 of 11 and Ryan Nembhard’s 8 of 8. The Aztecs made 13 of 18.
GU was called for 21 fouls, while SDSU had 22.
Byrd grounded
Miles Byrd returned from an ankle injury to start, drawing a huge ovation from San Diego’s student section during introductions. The 6-foot-7 sophomore guard had a rough opening half, misfiring on all four of his shots, including three behind the 3-point line.
Byrd, who had nine points in last year’s 84-74 win over GU in Spokane, went scoreless in 15 first-half minutes. The Aztecs were also without 6-6 wing Reese Waters, who had 22 points last year’s victory.
Byrd played the first seven minutes of the second half before subbing out for good and at one point left the court, apparently for additional evaluation from the medical staff. Byrd had five rebounds and three assists, but went 0 of 5 and didn’t score in 22 minutes of playing time.
Jim Meehan can be reached at (509) 459-5585 or at jimm@spokesman.com.