PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — There wasn’t one specific thing coach Mark Few could point to in trying to explain Gonzaga’s struggles against Portland.
It all went wrong.
“Just outplayed us, outexecuted us, outshot us,” Few said. “When they got open shots, they made them. And we didn’t. Literally every phase of the game.”
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga lost 87-80 to the Pilots on Wednesday night, snapping a 15-game winning streak.
Favored by 21 1/2 points according to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Bulldogs (22-2, 10-1 West Coast Conference) had won 20 straight against Portland — and 19 of those were by double digits. The Pilots’ previous victory over the Zags came on Jan. 9, 2014, an 82-73 win in Portland. Gonzaga was ranked No. 18 in that game.
The Pilots had never defeated a team in the top 10. That win over the Bulldogs in 2014 was their last victory against a ranked opponent.
Basketballs in the rack during the warmups of Santa Clara v Saint Mary’s
Portland led by as many as 15 points, but Gonzaga closed the gap in the final two minutes, coming as close as 84-80 with 30 seconds left. Portland, riding both its own momentum and the cheers of its home crowd, held on for the win and the fans rushed the court.
“I think when you have a program like ours, and we’re having a season like we’re having, I think you always feel like you’ve got to respond — but then you’ve got to respond. You can’t be talking about it,” Few said about the expectation that Gonzaga would eventually pull out the win. “You’ve got to bear down and get stops on defense.”
Graham Ike had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Zags. The 6-foot-9 forward was coming off a 30-point performance in a win against rival Saint Mary’s at home on Saturday and had earned his fourth WCC player of the week award. Before that, he missed three games with a sore right ankle.
“They had more effort, more energy than us tonight,” Ike said. “Kudos to them, but we’ve got to flush it. … Got to be better.”
The Bulldogs are still without forward Braden Huff because of a knee injury.
Gonzaga’s only other loss this season came in December to then-No. 7 Michigan, 101-61, at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.
The Pilots (11-14, 4-8) were coming off a 104-74 loss at Washington State and a 74-51 loss at Pacific before that. So it’s no wonder they were heavy underdogs to Gonzaga.
“Everything has to happen right in a game like that,” Portland coach Shantay Legans said. “They have to miss some key shots and some key free throws. And our guys played with a lot of confidence and kept their cool and kept their composure. And I think it helped playing at home. We’ve been pretty good at home. But every game we’ve been in, we’ve had a turnover here, or something like that. Tonight, it all came together.”
Joel Foxwell led Portland with 27 points and eight assists. The Pilots hit 59% of their shots from the field, compared to 40% for the Zags.
Gonzaga will look to rebound Saturday against Oregon State, a team the Bulldogs will join next season in the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference.
Said Ike: “I can promise it won’t happen again.”
Basketballs in the rack during Brigham Young v Saint Mary’s