The Gonzaga Bulldogs rolled into Arizona State for an absolute grinder of a game. It wasn’t pretty for either team for long stretches, but ultimately, the Zags came out on top, toppling the Sun Devils 77-65.
- The refs ground this one into an ugly ass game. Both Graham Ike and Braden Huff had three fouls barely into the second half. The entirety of the Sun Devils seemed to have two fouls going into halftime. Luckily, for Gonzaga, they took advantage at the free throw line, generating 14 more points than ASU.
- There is not enough that can be said about Tyon Grant-Foster. Calling him an x-factor is doing a disservice to how much opponents should be focusing on him. He is all over the court every second he sees play. He finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
- Gonzaga looked to be cruising to an easy win at halftime, and credit to Arizona State, they battled back to make it a game in the second half. Gonzaga’s offense looked a bit disjointed during this period, going over five minutes without a field goal, and is a good reminder that there is still plenty of room to grow for this squad. Keep those expectations in check, especially with Alabama in the first game of the Players Era Tournament.
- It seemed like Mario Saint-Supery was ready to take the starting PG spot from Braeden Smith, but Smith showed tonight why he will be the starter going forward. Saint-Supery was not nearly as effective, especially when it came to directing the offense. Smith finished with nine assists to Saint-Supery’s one.
- Arizona State was closing down in the second half, only two possessions down, and then they shot themselves in both feet and hands–and to a certain extent, goes to show exactly what you want to see from your squad in a physical game filled with whistles. Santiago Trouet picked up a technical after he blocked a Jalen Warley shot, denying ASU momentum and numbers on a fastbreak. Just a couple of minutes later, Bobby Hurley finally picked up a technical after doing a classic sideline Hurley aka “putting your Gene Cousineau-learned acting skills on display and act like you’ve been shot while auditioning for your part as an extra on Law & Order” on a perceived incorrect foul coul.
All the while, as ASU emotionally unravelled, Gonzaga kept it cool, calm, and collected. And the difference showed in the final score. The fact of the matter is that regardless of whether or not Hurley was right about the missed call, technical fouls are not the energizing force people (the announcers in this game) think they are. - So about that three-point shooting…..
- Adam Miller made his return to Arizona State and hit two key three-pointers to really close the door in the second half. If Miller can be a consistent three-point shooter, that’ll be a huge boon alongside Steele Venters. The rest of the team? Without Ike going 4-for-4 this time around, the Zags shot just 6-for-21 from three.
- Entering the game, the Zags had taken just 45 free throws in three games. It’s not like the Zags drew free throws at a crazy rate last season, but to start this season the Zags were ranked No. 347 in the country. They attempted 35 free throws tonight, making 26.