Everything went wrong.
“He just outplayed us, outexecuted us and outshot us,” Few said. “When they had open shots, they made them. And we didn’t. Literally every phase of the game.”
Advertisement
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga lost 87-80 to the Pilots on Wednesday night, snapping a 15-game winning streak.
Favored by 21 1/2 points according to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Bulldogs (22-2, 10-1 West Coast Conference) had won 20 straight against Portland, and 19 of them were by double digits. The Pilots’ previous victory over the Zags came on January 9, 2014, an 82-73 victory in Portland. Gonzaga was ranked 18th in that game.
The Pilots had never defeated a top-10 team. That win over the Bulldogs in 2014 was their last win against a ranked opponent.
Portland led by as many as 15 points, but Gonzaga closed the gap in the final two minutes, pulling within 84-80 with 30 seconds left. Portland, riding its own momentum and the cheers of its home crowd, held on to win and fans rushed to the court.
Advertisement
“I think when you have a program like ours, and we’re having a season like we’re having, you always feel like you have to respond, but then you have to respond. You can’t be talking about it,” Few said of the expectation that Gonzaga would eventually pull out the win. “You have to press and make stops on defense.”
Graham Ike had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Zags. The 6-foot-9 forward was coming off a 30-point performance in a win against rival Saint Mary’s at home on Saturday and had earned his fourth WCC player of the week award. Before that, he missed three games due to right ankle soreness.
“Tonight they had more effort and more energy than us,” Ike said. “Congratulations to them, but we have to clean it up… We have to be better.”
The Bulldogs are still without forward Braden Huff due to a knee injury.
Advertisement
Gonzaga’s only other loss this season came in December to then-No. 7 Michigan, 101-61, in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.
The Pilots (11-14, 4-8) were coming off a 104-74 loss at Washington State and a 74-51 loss at Pacific before that. So it’s no surprise they were Gonzaga’s underdogs.
“Everything has to happen right in a game like that,” Portland coach Shantay Legans said. “They have to miss some key shots and some key free throws. And our guys played with a lot of confidence and stayed calm and composed. And I think it helped playing at home. We’ve been pretty good at home. But every game we’ve been in, we’ve had a turnover here, or something like that. Tonight, everything worked out.”
Joel Foxwell led Portland with 27 points and eight assists. The Pilots made 59% of their field goals, compared to 40% for the Zags.
Advertisement
Gonzaga will look to bounce back Saturday against Oregon State, a team the Bulldogs will join next season in the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference.
Ike said, “I can promise it won’t happen again.”
___
Receive poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. Register here and here (AP mobile app). AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball