Gonzaga fueled by Washington loss ahead of showdown vs. UConn: 'All of us are more hungry than ever'

Bulldogs take on reigning national champions with a renewed sense of urgency after latest defeat

A 48-hour turnaround between games was exactly what the basketball doctors ordered for the No. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs, as they washed away the odor of defeat from Saturday's loss at Washington with a resounding 38-point win over Mississippi Valley State on Monday.

The bounce-back wasn't a complete cakewalk, as the Zags (8-2) navigated the Delta Devils' zone defense with difficulty at times, shooting 47.4% from the field and 5-for-24 on 3-point attempts. Still, the contest was never in doubt after the midway point in the first half, allowing Gonzaga's starters to play less than 25 minutes while the reserves handled business in the second half. Albeit it was against the worst-ranked team in the country by KenPom's metrics, the win rinsed the Zags of a loss they didn't want on their resume.

"After [Saturday], nobody was too happy about that, especially the end of the game, how things went," Braden Huff said after the 78-40 win over Mississippi Valley State. "So to kind of get that bad taste out of our mouth and be able to play 48 hours later, it was nice for us to kind of get this one done."

The taste of defeat is gone, but the poor execution down the stretch that led to the letdown against in-state rival Washington has seemingly rekindled a burning fire in the Bulldogs' locker room, according to freshman Dusty Stromer.

Watch: 'Rapid Fire' with Gonzaga freshman Dusty Stromer

"I think all of us are more hungry than ever now after the loss," Stromer said. "We've got a big one on Friday and we're super excited to get out to Seattle."

That sentiment might ring especially true for Gonzaga's most notable pair of first-year players — Stromer and Huff were held scoreless and shot a combined 0-for-6 from the field with seven fouls committed against Washington. Granted it was the first time in their collegiate careers going into a hostile environment, which is much different than playing on a neutral site floor no matter the competition. But Stromer and the Bulldogs aren't using first-time jitters as an excuse or something to forget altogether, but rather, a chip on the shoulder moving forward.

With that experience under their belts, the Bulldogs head back to the Emerald City where they'll take on No. 5 UConn at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday. The Huskies (9-1) have looked as dominant as a reigning national championship team has ever looked, defeating opponents by an average margin of 28.4 points including double-digit wins over Indiana, Texas and North Carolina on their resume. Head coach Dan Hurley built another deep squad this time led by breakout guard Tristen Newton (17.0 points per game), Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer (15.8 ppg) and frontcourt tandem Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban.

"We've got to be ready," Stromer said of the UConn matchup. "We've got to have a chip on our shoulder from taking that loss that we didn't want to take and just hit them early."

Photos: Braden Huff leads Gonzaga over Mississippi Valley State