Conference play has gone fine for Gonzaga Basketball so far, starting out 4-0 in WCC play. But their next contest was different, taking on WCC newcomer and local rival, Washington State. Although the Cougars had lost at home to Pacific two days prior, they were going to be very focused for this matchup.
And they were, leading for a good portion of the first half and being only down by a few points midway through. But as they do with all of the other teams in the conference, Gonzaga made a big run in the second half to push the lead to double figures, winning 88-75 overall.
Here are some takeaways from the victory for the Bulldogs.
1. Nolan Hickman breakthrough game
It’s been a struggle for the senior guard of late, scoring six or fewer points in four of the last five games. But he went for a season-high 19 points in 38 minutes, including 5/8 from deep. He’s been in a rut ever since the UConn disaster, so Hickman coming up big against a good team in the WCC was a welcomed development.
2. Ben Gregg the clear guy at the four-spot
Another guy who hasn’t had the greatest run was Gregg but the past week has seen him also breakout. He scored 23 points against San Diego and produced 11 points, nine rebounds, and five assists to beat Wazzu. These were also the two games where Gregg played the most amount of minutes, while Michael Ajayi has become a clear bench piece. That may be how the minutes work out going forward.
3. Defense starting to be a concern
Gonzaga’s offense has and will never be and issue in WCC play. In three of five conference games, the Bulldogs have given up at least 75 points. And they weren’t against the most potent competition to this point.
Gonzaga’s defense kept them in the non-con games, with the offense struggling. It’s been the opposite in league play, keeping some of these games closer than expected. If that continues, they could be due for an upset, starting with Oregon State on the road.