Gonzaga goes cold from the field in loss to UConn at Madison Square Garden: 3 takeaways

The Bulldogs came up short down the stretch of their 77-71 loss to the Huskies

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mark Few knew the Gonzaga Bulldogs were in for a true road environment as they prepared to travel across the country to play the UConn Huskies at the famous Madison Square Garden.

Dan Hurley and company had won seven in a row inside the "World's Most Famous Arena" heading into Saturday's showdown between the two college basketball powerhouses. It certainly didn't take long for the Zags (7-3) to understand what's behind that streak.

“It was like a prize fight in here, this atmosphere," Few said after the game. "UConn definitely has a homecourt advantage in here.”

Gonzaga trailed UConn by double-digits early on and could never fully recover down the stretch, as Mark Few and company suffered their second straight loss in a 77-71 final from New York City. It's the first time the Bulldogs have lost back-to-back games since December 2018.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga's loss to UConn.

OFFENSE GOES COLD IN CRUNCH TIME

It's not easy to win close games on the road without knocking down at least one attempt from the field over the final three minutes and change. The Bulldogs found themselves in that same situation upon going ice cold down the stretch against the Huskies. Despite generating some clean looks at the rim over the final 3:25 in the second half, Gonzaga missed four straight field goal attempts and six of its last seven looks to end the game, including a wide-open layup for Ryan Nembhard that came up just short in the final minute.

Gonzaga's floor general had a brilliant first half, finishing with 10 points and six assists to help the Bulldogs climb out of their early deficit. Sixth-year guard Khalif Battle had a helping hand as well, as he knocked down three 3-pointers and had 11 points before the halftime break.

In the second half, however, Nembhard struggled to explode through the same driving lanes to the rim he saw open up in the first half. The senior guard was 2-for-8 from the field and had just one assist after halftime to conclude with 16 points and seven assists. Battle led the way with 21 points on 6-for-12 from the field.

While they carried the load offensively throughout, Battle and Nembhard scored just one point between the two of them over the last eight minutes and change.

UCONN BOTTLES UP GONZAGA'S PICK-AND-ROLL GAME

Gonzaga's offense struggled to maintain its typical flow and rhythm throughout the 40-minute battle because of how UConn planned to take away the middle of the floor, especially ball-screen actions involving Graham Ike. The Bulldogs' leading scorer who came in averaging more than 15 points played just 12 minutes Saturday and was to just three points on 1-for-3 from the field, due in large part to the Huskies' ability to stymie the Zags' pick-and-roll game.

Despite not having Samson Johnson available for a majority of the contest, UConn never wavered against Gonzaga's dynamic frontcourt duo. Braden Huff had a part in sparking the Bulldogs with his activity on the offensive glass in crunch time, though the Huskies also made it hard for the redshirt sophomore to get to his spots on the floor. Huff ended the night at eight points on 4-for-10 from the field.

To the Zags' credit, they weathered quite the storm early on and made it much more difficult for the Huskies to settle into their offensive sets as the night went along. Unfortunately for Few and company, every time it seemed like they were ready to get in the driver's seat, UConn capitalized off a timely offensive rebound and 3-pointer thereafter.

ON TO NICHOLLS

Safe to say the Bulldogs can't wait for the opportunity to flush away this loss on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PST when they host Nicholls (7-4) from the McCarthey Athletic Center (KHQ/ESPN+). Then they'll entertain Bucknell (4-7) on Dec. 21 in their final tune-up of nonconference play before a big matchup with UCLA (9-1) takes place on Dec. 28 in Inglewood, California.

That said, Saturday's final result could have an impact on Gonzaga's NCAA Tournament resume come March. While the Zags can expect to face a handful of unique challenges in West Coast Conference play, the number of opportunities for them to pick up high-quality wins between now and Selection Sunday is dwindling. There should be plenty at stake then on Dec. 28 when the Bulldogs and Bruins square off at the Intuit Dome.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Mark Few expects ‘another great environment’ when Gonzaga faces UConn at Madison Square Garden

• Gonzaga-UConn features NCAA Tournament implications for both teams

• Dan Hurley praises Gonzaga's frontcourt: 'I don't think anyone's got a center tandem like they've got right now'

• UConn Huskies 77, Gonzaga Bulldogs 71 : Live score recap, highlights from men's college basketball game

• What UConn's Dan Hurley said ahead of Gonzaga matchup: 'Both of us really want it bad'

• Former Saint Mary's star buried on UConn bench

• Gonzaga and UConn by the numbers

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