Gonzaga Basketball: 3 takeaways from victory over USC Trojans

Gonzaga Basketball got its 16th straight victory over the USC Trojans in a balanced effort. Here are some takeaways from the game.

Gonzaga Basketball took its 15-game winning streak against the Pac-12 on the line Saturday night versus the USC Trojans. It was a matchup that the Bulldogs dominated early, up 15-2 just minutes in. USC tried its best to stay in the game but a late run allowed the WCC to win 89-76 to move to 6-1.

Here are some takeaways from the game on the Bulldogs‘ side.

Dusty Stromer’s best game yet

With the season-ending injury to starting wing Steele Venters, Gonzaga’s perimeter became very limited, forcing the top-60 freshman guard to get plenty of minutes. Through seven games, Stromer is averaging 7.0 ppg. But he doubled that against USC, scoring a season-high 15 points on 4/9 shooting from deep. If he can manage to be a double-digit scorer while continuing to play good defense, the Bulldogs will be in great shape going forward.

Huff/Gregg duo continues to thrive off the bench

The starting frontcourt duo of Graham Ike and Anton Watson had solid games overall, combining for 23 pts and 15 rebs. However, Watson was in foul trouble in the first half, while Ike was in the second half. That gave extra minutes to the bench forwards, Ben Gregg and Braden Huff. Those two combined to produce 26 pts and 10 rebs, while making 4/6 from deep. The frontcourt will have to do the heavy lifting for Gonzaga Basketball this season and this group of four is capable of doing it.

Nolan Hickman’s consistency a big key

The junior guard was one of six double-digit scorers on the night but only had 10 pts and four assists in 35 minutes. And that’s just fine on a team that has as much balance as Gonzaga. Hickman’s struggles a year ago involved him not giving the team anything in the scoring department, including in the NCAA Tournament.

Through seven games, Hickman is averaging 13.0 ppg on 46% shooting. More importantly, he’s been in double figures for all seven games. That’s a big reason why the team is 6-1 on the season with a few good wins a month in.