Gonzaga comes up short vs. UConn: 'You need 'A' games out of your best guys'

Bulldogs trailed by double-digits for most of 76-63 loss to Huskies in Seattle

SEATTLE - From the opening tip, the No. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs faced an uphill battle against the reigning national champions on Friday.

No. 5 UConn (10-1) flexed its championship DNA with thorough execution on both ends of the floor, as it led by double-digits for a majority of the top-10 showdown in front of a well-represented Gonzaga crowd at Climate Pledge Arena. Any attempt at flipping momentum from the Bulldogs (8-3) was immediately countered by a big play from the Huskies. Even with Mark Few's defensive adjustments, Dan Hurley's squad had enough juice to slug it out down the stretch.

Donovan Clingan finished with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies, who shot 55.8% from the field and 7-for-17 from downtown. The 7-foot-3 post essentially closed the door on any comeback attempt with a two-hand alley-oop dunk that put his team up by a dozen with just under four minutes to play, silencing the Gonzaga faithful. Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer added 15 points and knocked down three triples.

For the Bulldogs, they've dropped two of their last three outings after shooting 39% from the floor and 2-of-12 from deep. Anton Watson paced with 20 points while Ryan Nembhard added 15.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga's loss.

BULLDOGS' MAIN CONTRIBUTORS GO COLD

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

It was no secret going in that Gonzaga would need everyone in its rotation to be at their best if it was to pull off the upset, and simply put that wasn't the case once the final buzzer sounded. Outside of Watson, the Zags struggled to find consistency. The backcourt had moments but was never in control, as Nembhard was held to one field goal in the second half while Nolan Hickman was 3-of-10 from the floor overall. Braden Huff and Ben Gregg combined for seven points on 2-of-7 from the floor off the bench in a game where Mark Few's rotation was already worn thin.

"We need to have everyone play really good in a game like this, and it didn't happen," Few said. "We just got to be able to step up and make shots in games like this and you need 'A' games out of your best guys."

There was also a lack of production from Graham Ike, who entered the game as the Bulldogs' leading scorer on the season. The 6-foot-9 post didn't get on the scoreboard until early in the second half, as he finished with a quiet five points on 2-for-5 shooting from the floor in a game he was largely a non-factor offensively. Clingan's presence could've played a role in Ike's inability to get quality post touches, though Few didn't believe the Huskies did anything defensively to throw his starting center off.

Few said Ike "had a tough night" against UConn, days after Gonzaga's head coach stated he wanted Ike to be more aggressive after the win over Mississippi Valley State on Monday. To Few's point, Ike has attempted a combined 11 field goals over the last two games after three straight outings with 10 or more attempts. If he's fully healthy as Few confirmed on Friday, he'll have to be more of a scorer moving forward if the Zags are to play their brand of basketball.

The Washington loss made it apparent the team lacked a true No. 1 scorer — the double-digit defeat to UConn only confirmed that to be true.

3-POINT STRUGGLES CONTINUE

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Basketball is often referred to as a make-or-miss game, so it shouldn't be a shock to see the Bulldogs' 3-point struggles hold them back once again as it did in their previous two losses to Purdue and Washington. Gonzaga shot a season-worst 2-for-12 against UConn, the third consecutive game in which it shot 28% or worse on 3-point attempts. Even more frustrating, the players and coaches feel like they're getting the looks they want.

"I think we've been getting some solid looks," Nembhard said. "Maybe we got to take some better ones, but for the most part we got some solid looks."

Nembhard himself has struggled mightily this season from beyond the arc, shooting just 18.7% on more than three attempts per game. That's quite the dip from the 35.6% mark he set with Creighton last season, especially considering he has Hickman alongside him to help set the table and allow for more catch-and-shoot looks. But that hasn't been Nembhard's game thus far, as he looks to attack the paint frequently, but at some point, he'll have to find consistency from deep to keep defenses honest.

It wasn't until the second half of Friday's game that the Zags made an effort to create open looks from deep. After attempting three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, a more committed effort defensively in the second half paved the way for more 3-point attempts in transition in the second half, an area the Zags have excelled in certain stretches this season. But even against a defense that has allowed its share of 3-pointers to its opponents, the Bulldogs couldn't take advantage despite outrebounding the Huskies, 42-33.

Gonzaga is down to 32.2% on 3-point attempts in 2023-24, an extremely low rate for a Few-coached team that has shot 37% or better in each of the last two seasons.

DEPTH IS AT A MINIMUM

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Just when the Bulldogs' backcourt depth couldn't seem thinner, freshman guard Luka Krajnovic broke his hand prior to Friday's game and is expected to miss "a while" according to Few.

"[Luka] broke his hand in a non-contact shootaround today," Few said. "Kind of a tough break."

Indeed the loss is a major blow for a Bulldogs squad already without 6-foot-7 sharpshooter Steele Venters, who tore his ACL prior to the season opener against Yale. Krajnovic was used sparingly, as he averaged 13.6 minutes off the bench in the five games he's played, though with him on the court he allowed for either Hickman or Nembhard to take a short rest. The starting backcourt combined to play all but one possible minute against the Huskies, and now without Krajnovic, that might be almost a nightly occurrence heading into West Coast Conference play.

The injury also puts more weight on sophomore wing Jun Seok Yeo, who has flashed at times but has a ways to go before becoming a staple in the rotation. He doesn't take the pressure off the backcourt, though at this point it'll be about keeping guys fresh for later in the season. Yeo will have more opportunities against Jackson State on Wednesday before the last home nonconference game on Dec. 29 when San Diego State comes to town.

Photos: Gonzaga loses to UConn in Elite Eight rematch