Mark Few praises Gonzaga's defense: 'Our guys did a good job executing on the defensive end'

Bulldogs held the Pilots' leading scorer in check to come away with a 96-64 win

Cole Forsman | Feb 8, 2024

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SPOKANE - The Gonzaga Bulldogs clicked on all cylinders en route to a 96-64 blowout victory over Portland on Wednesday.

A hot night from beyond the arc fueled the offense, as Gonzaga (17-6, 8-2 WCC) went 15-of-33 from behind the arc, which set a new season high for makes and attempts. Braden Huff played a large role off the bench with 25 points on 11-for-16 from the field, while Anton Watson added 20.

"We knew that going in so we spent a lot of time having hands and feet ready out there on the perimeter," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few of his team's readiness to shoot. "Our guys did a good job of taking the right ones. You can take a lot of [3-pointers] if you want, but it's got to be the right ones and there's always a context to it too."

Defensively, the Bulldogs imposed their will on the Pilots' offense. Tyler Robertson, who was second in the WCC at 16.5 points per game, was held to just five points on 2-for-9 shooting from the field. Portland as a team shot 35.9% from the field and was 9-of-34 from beyond the arc.

“We had a great [first] half on the defensive end,” said Few. “That team has some real skill and they spread you out. Our guys did a nice job executing the defensive plan.”

It was the 10th-straight opponent to shoot 50% or worse against the Bulldogs, who have allowed less than 80 points scored against them in 22 of 23 games this season.

Watch Mark Few's full postgame interview in the video above.