Gonzaga goes cold in crunch time in road loss to Washington

Bulldogs couldn't crack Huskies defense down the stretch

For the first time in nearly two decades, the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs were upended by in-state rival Washington.

The Zags (7-2) squandered an 11-point lead in the second half, as the Huskies defense clamped down in the final minutes before walking out of Alaska Airlines Arena with a 78-73 win. It was Washington's first head-to-head win over Gonzaga since 2005, which also took place in Seattle. The defeat also snapped the Zags' 16-game win streak over Pac-12 foes.

The Huskies (6-3) endured their share of cold stretches, though timely baskets from Keion Brooks Jr. and Sahvir Wheeler in the clutch were enough to outlast the Bulldogs. Washington outscored Gonzaga 17-7 over the final 10 minutes, as Brooks Jr. and Wheeler combined to score 12 of the last 14 Washington points.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's game.

ZAGS NEED GO-TO SCORER

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It was all downhill for the Bulldogs after going up by 11 just five minutes into the second half. Over the course of the next 14 minutes and change, they shot just 3-of-19 from the floor and committed seven turnovers, four of which came in the final two minutes. What had been a high-octane offense for the first 25 minutes suddenly turned dysfunctional in crunch time, and while credit to Washington's constant pressure and attention defensively, it didn't help that Gonzaga lacked a go-to guy for instant offense amid the cold stretch.

The Bulldogs missed 11 of their final 12 shot attempts from the floor, with seven of those looks coming from behind the 3-point line. Granted Frank Kepnang was a force down low all night, as the 6-foot-11 post finished with a career-high five blocks and took away many more driving lanes for Gonzaga's wings to attack. Conversely, the Bulldogs didn't have a consistent counter to limit his impact defensively, totaling just eight points in the paint over the last 20 minutes of action.

Graham Ike had moments in both halves, though he played 24 minutes amid foul trouble. The 6-foot-9 forward did more than just hold his own against Kepnang with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, often controlling Gonzaga's tempo with powerful backdowns in the post. Washington countered in the second half with double teams to force the ball out of Ike's hands, preventing any easy one-on-one matchups with Kepnang.

For all the upside Gonzaga's balanced scoring attack brings to the table, the lack of a true go-to scorer hurt in situations like against the Huskies when shots just aren't falling. Like how Anton Watson saved the day against UCLA while his teammates went ice cold from the floor. That can't be expected from him every night, but regardless, a true No. 1 scoring threat who can take the reigns for a few possessions will need to step up down the road. 

HICKMAN'S RETURN TO SEATTLE

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Saturday marked a homecoming for Nolan Hickman, as the Sammamish native returned to the greater Seattle area for the second time in his collegiate career — both times resulting in losses for his team.

But the defeat to the Huskies didn't come without an aggressive showing on both ends of the floor from the 6-foot-2 junior. After knocking down his first jumper, he blocked a fadeaway attempt from Paul Mulcahy that led to a fastbreak score on the other end for the Bulldogs. Having his layup rejected by Moses Wood moments later didn't phase Hickman, who calmly drilled a 3-pointer on the same possession off the inbounds set. Hickman finished with 11 points and 3-of-4 from downtown in the first half, though the hot start didn't fully translate to the second half.

Washington's defense took away a lot of drives off pick-and-rolls for Hickman, as he was forced to give up possession without much flow in the offense. Struggling to find a rhythm, Hickman shot 1-for-6 in the second half and was held scoreless over the final 16 minutes of play. And just as he had taken care of the ball all night, he committed a costly turnover late trying to feed Ike on a dive toward the rim, a mistake that granted the Huskies the opportunity to put the game away at the free-throw line.

It appeared that it would be Hickman's night after the first 20 minutes of play. He's shown the ability to create his own shot time after time, but there are stretches where he's less involved offensively. That doesn't mean he can't be the first option on offense, though, and there will likely be games later in the season that he proves to himself and the program that he can be relied upon. 

LEARNING MOMENT FOR GONZAGA'S YOUTH

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Gonzaga had its share of tests on neutral site floors, most notably the Maui Invitational along with Las Vegas, but Saturday's game inside a ruckus Alaska Airlines Arena was a different beast for the Bulldogs' first-year players.

Experiencing a hostile environment for the first time in their Gonzaga careers, Dusty Stromer and Braden Huff didn't appear as comfortable as they'd been in games at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The two combined to go 0-for-6 from the floor, misfiring on all five 3-point attempts, while committing seven personal fouls between them. Huff barely saw the floor, playing just five minutes after averaging 16 minutes off the bench in the first eight games of the season. Stromer dealt with foul trouble amid his struggles to put the ball in the basket.

Stromer has benefitted from his ability to move off the ball when Nembhard or Hickman can find him for open looks in transition or in the corners, but creating for himself hasn't come easy. According to Hoop-Math, 80% of Stromer's baskets at the rim have been assisted while 91.7% of his 3-point field goals were off an assist as well. He'll eventually grow into his own as a scorer, but until then it puts more pressure on him to convert on the few opportunities he's granted via his teammates ability to find him.

And that doesn't discredit Stromer's impact defensively, either. Playing nearly 30 minutes per game as a freshman likely means he's earned quite a bit of trust from the coaching staff for his ability to impact the game in other ways.

Photos: Gonzaga's Pac-12 win streak ends with loss to Washington