What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after win vs. UMass-Lowell

The Bulldogs locked in for a 59-point win over the River Hawks with matchup against San Diego State looming

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

After back-to-back wins over Big 12 opponents and a rematch against San Diego State on the horizon, the Gonzaga men's basketball team had to keep its mind focused on the task at hand Friday night, which was taking care of business at home against an experienced UMass-Lowell squad.

No doubt the Bulldogs (3-0) were locked in for the full 40-minute tilt with the River Hawks (2-1), as Mark Few and company stormed to a 113-54 victory over their America East foe. Six players scored in double-figures for the Zags, who were led by Khalif Battle's 21 points.

Here's what Gonzaga head coach Mark Few had to say after the win.

On his team's focus heading into the game:

Gonzaga senior forward Ben Gregg. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

"[UMass-Lowell] had our full attention. I think these guys are going to have a good season. I think they're primed to challenge Vermont. And as I told the players, this is like a team we would see in the first round of the NCAAs if we get seeded where we want to be seeded. So you got to respect that. They got a bunch of guys back, and I think they had 22 wins or something like that last year, and added a couple of nice transfers. We were able to get out and make shots and I thought we were way, way more energized and active and kind of just assertive on the defensive end, making plays instead of just sitting back, much more so than we did against Arizona State. So I thought that was a huge key."

On Khalif Battle's big night (team-high 21 points):

Gonzaga senior guard Khalif Battle. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

"When he gets going like that he can be electric. He's certainly had moments during his career, especially last year at Arkansas, where he did that. We know what he's capable of when he gets on one of those rolls like that. But he did a really nice job on [Quinton Mincey]. [Mincey] is a good player, man and somebody they look to score it, drive it, shoot it, back our guards down. I thought [Battle] did a nice job and took that thing on and then also it didn't affect his offense."

On upcoming matchup with San Diego State:

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

"Just a bunch of tough, athletic dudes that kind of get you in a rock fight the way they play defense. They're going to absolutely pound the glass. They're going to be in those gaps, breaking us and making it hard. They're going to be really, really physical. They'll be big around the rim. So our bigs will really have to be tough enough to get to their moves and get to their shots and then they're just very opportunistic on the offensive end. They did a good job of that [Jaedon Ledee] really isoed us and hurt us. This year, [Miles] Byrd's been shooting the ball well from 3 and [BJ] Davis has come off. He's been in their program. I think they have a lot of faith in him. So it'll be a tough, tough game, and in a great environment."

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