Gonzaga flips switch in exhibition win over Warner Pacific: 3 takeaways

Bulldogs blitz the Knights into 23 turnovers en route to 109-52 win in exhibition finale

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Wednesday night’s exhibition against Warner Pacific was the last opportunity for the Gonzaga men’s basketball team to fine-tune and make some tweaks before its highly-anticipated season-opener with No. 8 Baylor next week.

The Bulldogs overcame a sluggish start to eventually pull away from their NAIA competitor late in the first half, as Mark Few and the coaching staff cranked up the dial on the team’s defensive intensity with a full-court press that completely shook the Knights out of any sort of rhythm they had going at the time. After a few breakaway opportunities off live-ball turnovers, Gonzaga went from being ahead by two points to commanding a 64-27 advantage at halftime, seemingly all in the blink of an eye.

“Once we started talking and communicating, our defense got stronger,” said senior forward Michael Ajayi after the game. “And after that, we got into the press, got some steals and that's kinda what we did.”

Ajayi finished the night with 14 points, including a few highlight slam dunks, and grabbed six rebounds in 14 minutes of action. Senior guard Nolan Hickman led all scorers with 19 points, while Braden Huff added 14 and five rebounds as well.

Here are three takeaways from the Zags’ 109-52 win over the Knights.

ROTATION REMAINS WORK IN PROGRESS

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Two exhibitions and a handful of five-man combinations later, the Bulldogs have yet to officially lock down their starting lineup for the season opener. After playing 11 scholarship players against both the Trojans and Knights, it’s likely Few and the coaching staff will try to utilize all the talent they have at their disposal, yet it remains to be seen how the puzzles will fit together.

“We’re just shuffling, like I talked about it [last week],” Few said. “Guys are kind of bunched together, and depending on what night, everybody’s level is different than just trying to reward them for all their hard work and all that. But you know they’re all going to play in some shape or form for the most part, just kinda got to figure out who’s having a good night and who maybe isn’t.”

The first half starting five featured Ryan Nembhard and Hickman with Khalif Battle, Graham Ike and Huff. The five-man unit had its moments on offense, though defensively it lacked the same energy that the next group led by Ajayi possessed. The Pepperdine transfer got the starting nod for the second half over Huff.

FLIPPING A SWITCH

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

To some fans, it might’ve felt like the Bulldogs took longer than expected to shake the Knights, especially after the way the offense started out sloppy. From tip-in putbacks up close to even wide-open alley-oops, there was certainly some meat left on the bones from the first 10 minutes of action. 

After back-to-back 3-pointers from Warner Pacific, Gonzaga found itself up by just two points near the midway point in the first half. The Zags missed 14 of their first 21 field goals and lacked spirit on defense until Few and company decided to switch up their look with a full-court press that featured the lengthy Ajayi at the top of the press. With his 7-foot wingspan disrupting passing lanes, the Bulldogs managed to create easier looks for themselves in transition, as they made 17 of their final 21 field goal attempts of the first half to blow the doors wide open on the Knights.

Gonzaga’s run didn’t stop at the break, though, as it scored 17 unanswered points to start the second half before a triple from Sean Johnson finally broke Warner Pacific’s scoring drought. So, essentially from the 10:38 mark in the first half to the 13:47 mark in the second, the Bulldogs outscored their opposition 60-8 and had built a 50-point lead before the third media timeout of the second half. That’s quite the hot streak, even if it was against an NAIA school.

“It was much, much better [than the USC game],” Few said of his team’s defensive effort Wednesday. “I thought, obviously different level of competition, but it was much, much better. More active, more of doing what we want to do.”

A run like the one Wednesday isn’t quite as replicable against Division-I teams, but with the amount of defensive versatility Ajayi brings to the table, as well as the intensity of Dusty Stromer, Emmanuel Innocenti and others on this end of the floor, Gonzaga appears capable of flipping a switch at a moment’s notice.

A MIGHTY TEST VS. BAYLOR IS AHEAD

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

For just the third time in the Mark Few era, the Bulldogs will open the regular season against a ranked opponent when they host an uber-talented Bears squad at the Spokane Arena on Monday.

Baylor, which has finished in the top 16 of KenPom in each of the last five seasons, is projected to continue that trend in 2024-25. Despite losing four of five starters from last season’s 24-11 team, head coach Scott Drew brought in quite the riches of talent this offseason to make up for the losses. Miami transfer Norchad Omier, a 6-foot-7 wing who averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game in 2023-24, along with former Duke product Jeremy Roach, an All-ACC guard last season, headline an incoming transfer portal class that ranked No. 13 in the nation according to EvanMiya.com. 

“Just great athleticism, really high-level talent,” Few said of the Bears. “[Head coach Scott Drew’s] got another projected one-and-one [VJ Edgecombe] and went out and got two great transfers. Jeremy Roach started at Duke for three years. One more kid from Miami who went to the Final Four. I mean, those guys have been there, done that and seen a lot of experiences. He's got some important returners coming back too. So, high-level athleticism, high-level talent. But Scott does a great job.”

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after Warner Pacific exhibition game

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• Gonzaga's Michael Ajayi throws down a dunk in transition

• Gonzaga experiments with starting rotation ahead of 2024-25 season opener against Baylor

• Gonzaga falls to USC in charity exhibition game: 3 takeaways

• What Mark Few said after Gonzaga-USC basketball exhibition game

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