Gonzaga Secures Season Sweep Over USF in Half-Empty Chase Center, 80-59

After playing significantly more in the second half during last Saturday’s 94-86 win at the Santa Clara Broncos, freshman Mario Saint-Supery was given the start at the lead guard spot over redshirt junior Braeden Smith for the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-2, 14-1 WCC) against the San Francisco Dons (15-14, 7-9 WCC) in the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, the home of the Golden State Warriors.

Seeing the calmness and steadiness that he brought to the offense over the weekend, coach Mark Few decided to give the Spaniard his first start since Dec. 21 against the Oregon Ducks at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, the home of the Portland Trail Blazers. This was the 11th different starting lineup that the head honcho has used this season.

Saint-Supery showed off his high basketball IQ and controlled the pace, always with his head up and fully aware of where everyone is on the court at all times. He turned it over only once and finished with a team-high six assists to go along with what was his first dunk in a Gonzaga uniform. That was two of Saint-Supery’s total 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting, plus four rebounds and two steals in the dominant and resounding performance over San Francisco.

As for coach Chris Gerlufsen’s Dons, the fourth-year man in charge gave sophomore star guard Tyrone Riley IV (team-high 16 points on 7-for-14 field goals, 2-for-5 three-pointers in 36 minutes) his first start after missing the last two games with a knee injury.

Gerlufsen’s group has underachieved this season to say the least. It’s a talented roster that had to deal with an injury to former McDonald’s All-American and junior forward Mookie Cook for a good chunk of the season. Eight games witha nagging knee injury to be exact. If he had been healthy for the entire season, the outlook of this team could have been much different. Cook scored 12 points while going 7-of-9 at the charity stripe against the Zags.

The true freshman guard Legend Smiley (10 points on 2-for-4 three-pointers) has stepped up for the Dons, especially from beyond the arc versus Gonzaga in 2025-26. He shot 70 percent from beyond the arc on 7-for-10 looks in the two regular-season matchups.

Gerlufsen spoke postgame about what it’s been like competing against the Pacific Northwest powerhouse over the years.

“Whatever the records say, I’m going to be personally disappointed to not have the opportunity to compete against them in the regular season and the conference tournament. I’m going to miss those opportunities as a competitor. Their program’s been so good around college basketball, what they’ve done the last 20 years. Everyone associated should be super proud of that, from the players to the coaches.” – San Francisco coach Chris Gerlufsen

Graduate forward and All-American candidate Graham Ike did not suit up the last time that the Zags beat USF at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, back on Jan. 24, 68-66, due to a right ankle sprain. The matchup coming into tonight to watch was Ike and junior forward David Fuchs. He’s a solid rebounder and defender, but struggled with his shooting from the field (nine points on 3-of-10 field goals, six rebounds) and was in foul trouble throughout.

Ike scored a game-high 22 points on 10-for-17 shooting in 36 minutes played against San Francisco. That’s now eight straight games of at least 20 for the Gonzaga big man.

“His development, not only of his game but his body, his conditioning. He never would’ve been able to play that many minutes. That says a lot about him, how he’s wired and how he’s built… Playing with a lot of swagger and a lot of confidence and certainly playing like a First Team All-American in my eyes.” – San Francisco coach Chris Gerlufsen

He wasn’t afraid to try to stretch the floor out, as the Dons were daring him to for the majority of the first half. Ike went even as far as the NBA three-point line, which isn’t his game. The 6-9 talent went 2-for-5 from long range, adding five rebounds and three assists for the Zags in their third straight triumph at the Chase Center. Why this final matchup between the two West Coast institutions wasn’t played at the historic War Memorial Gymnasium is quite befuddling.

In the house that Steph Curry built, Gonzaga struggled to hit from deep as a team at 5-of-17. This was the Zags’ fourth straight game with five or fewer three-pointers made. Gonzaga did go 29-of-45 (64.4 percent) from inside the arc and had a 46-to-26 points in the paint edge over San Francisco.

On the defensive end, junior wing Emmanuel Innoncenti (12 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, game-high eight rebounds, four steals in 35 minutes) played his best when leading the fastbreak. He has brought energy back to his teammates with his continuous ability to turn defense into offense.

The same can be said for true freshman wing Davis Fogle off the bench (eight points, five rebounds, three assists/zero turnovers), who has been an extremely fun player to watch in transition. He has a highlight reel of those ‘all by himself’ slams in his freshman campaign. If Fogle can continue to improve on his positioning on the defensive side of the floor, he has the complete game of an All-Pac-12 Conference player down the road. That addition to his game will come with more experience in Few’s rotation this season.

Just a consistent effort in the passing lanes from Few’s unit, totalling 11 steals against the Dons and eventually leading to 18 fastbreak points for the Zags.

In his last three outings, graduate guard Adam Miller’s decision-making as a facilitator (three assists to zero turnovers), on the defensive end (two steals), and with his overall shot selection (nine points on 4-of-6 field goals and 1-for-3 three-pointers) have drastically improved. That’s a great sign as March nears.

Gonzaga has now won 35 straight games over San Francisco, starting in 2013. The Zags lead the all-time series 79-22, dating all the way back to the 1979-1980 season.

This may not be the last time these two programs face each other this season, possibly meeting at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the West Coast Conference Tournament. They have met in the semifinals the last four times.

Gonzaga heads back home to the Inland Northwest and prepares for the surprisingly competitive Pacific Tigers (17-12, 8-8 WCC), who are currently in fourth place in the West Coast Conference. The second-to-last game in the Kennel this season will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN+/KHQ.

Graduate wing Steele Venters was suited up for the Zags against the Dons, but didn’t log any minutes in back-to-back contests. No official word on what is going on there, if it’s something behind-the-scenes to monitor, or if it’s just because of his lack of play as of late.

In news around redshirt junior forward Braden Huff, Few stated on this past Sunday’s “The Mark Few Show” that he won’t be available for at least another three weeks, if more. That would put in a timetable for a possible return during the NCAA Tournament, but that seems unlikely as of right now. His left knee injury is a tricky one and is a long road to a full recovery.

With the Saint Mary’s Gaels winning a nail-biter in Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, against the Seattle U Redhawks, 72-70, a three-bid West Coast Conference in the Big Dance is still very much a possibility. Gonzaga is at the top of the conference standings, with a one-game lead over Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara. They would need to win two of the three remaining regular-season games to secure the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

The Zags are currently at No. 9 in KenPom, hoisting the No. 22-ranked offense and No. 10-ranked defense in all of college basketball. Gonzaga also moved up two spots to No. 5 in the NET rankings, with a 6-1 Quad 1 record and 6-0 in Quad 1 opportunities.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the NCAA Tournament selection committee will reveal its Top 16 overall seeds for March Madness. The Zags are expected to be a No. 3 or No. 4 seed.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho