After a second-half defensive collapse against the San Diego Toreros in the Jenny Craig Pavilion to end 2025, the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs (15-1, 3-0 WCC) started 2026 lacking spirit and connectiveness with one another against a terrific Seattle U Redhawks team (12-4, 1-2 WCC) led by the bright fifth-year coach Chris Victor.
The seventh different variation of the starting lineup this season was put out by coach Mark Few, with senior wing Jalen Warley (zero points, six rebounds in 16 minutes) being plugged in after his near triple-double outburst against the Toreros, and graduate forward Graham Ike (24 points on 8-for-15 from the field/8-for-11 from the charity stripe, 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double) coming off the bench for the first time in 2025-26. This was most likely as a punishment for his technical foul he received and for throwing a water bottle on the floor in San Diego.
His attitude has gotten the better of him in the past, so hopefully, Ike gets it back in check during West Coast Conference play. Few needs a reliable veteran leader out on the floor, and Ike should be it.
This matchup was a scare from the beginning. After redshirt junior forward Braden Huff (game-high 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, six rebounds, two steals, one block) started it off with seven straight points off three finds from redshirt junior guard Braeden Smith (seven points, six assists/two turnovers, three steals), Seattle U came right back with a 17-2 run of their own. Redhawks senior guard Brayden Maldonado (team-leading 17 points on 6-for-16 field goals/3-for-10 three-pointers, five assists, four steals) had nine consecutive points and looks like an All-West Coast Conference-type competitor.
Nothing could be found offensively from anyone for the Zags, it seemed. The looks were there, but simply not falling like they normally would. Even when they were playing in transition, Gonzaga came up short right at the rim many times. Only 11 total fastbreak points is uncharacteristic of what this unit is truly capable of. What’s worse is that only five players actually made a field goal all game.
Freshman wing Davis Fogle got his opportunity with meaningful minutes to bring some sort of spark to this group. He checked in with eight minutes remaining in the first half. There was no such luck with his zero points in six minutes, and the Zags faced an eight-point deficit heading into the locker room. Few was not a happy camper with the lack of offensive execution, one would imagine.
More vitality and vigor than before came out late in the second half. Gonzaga would rally from down 13 (the largest comeback victory in the regular season since 2018 vs. the Arizona Wildcats in the Maui Invitational semifinals) with eight minutes left to take it into overtime.
This was only the third-ever overtime game that the Zags have ever played inside McCarthey Athletic Center. It would have ended in disappointment had it not been for the “Big 3” of graduate wing Grant-Foster (massive block on Baldanado’s corner jumper to force overtime), Huff (lone consistent and efficient source of offense throughout while reaching the 1,000 career point milestone), and Ike (came to life when his teammates needed him most in the clutch). Grant-Foster continues to show off his two-way versatility after finishing with 19 points on 7-for-9 from the field to go along with five rebounds and five blocks off the bench.
71 of Gonzaga’s 80 total points came from those three, including all 15 of the points in overtime. The trio played inspiring ball, just continuously chipping away and competing with confidence when all the pressure was on them, and no one else was picking up the slack.
Far from a pretty win, nonetheless. The more frustrating aspect of tonight’s Zags was the fact that they were outrebounded 41-40 by the Redhawks. Giving up 15 offensive rebounds is intolerable. Seattle U brought the discomfort one through five with its disciplined and physical No. 34-ranked defense, according to KenPom. Victor’s unit doesn’t back down and is tough as nails.
After being lights out from deep over the last seven games, Gonzaga’s three-point shooting took a dip. 4-for-15 (27 percent) is what was seen from this team to start off the year. Hopefully, that aspect of the game isn’t trending backwards.
As for former Zag Jun Seok Yeo, the Redhawk made his triumphant return to his old home. The 6-8 senior forward dealt with some foul troubles early on and struggled to hit shots after going for 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting, but all of Yeo’s makes did come on three-pointers.
Seattle U is going to be a program to reckon with in the West Coast Conference under Victor, a solid addition to the league with their rich basketball history when NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor was a student-athlete back in the mid-to-late ‘50s (appeared in the 1958 national championship game), and having won 20+ games in three of the last four seasons. This season’s group even knocked off the three other teams from “The Evergreen State” in the Washington State Cougars, Washington Huskies, and Eastern Washington Eagles.
It’s pleasant to see that this in-state Washington matchup was revitalized for the first time since 1980. The Redhawks have a 50-22 advantage in the all-time series over Gonzaga and would make for a respectable non-conference opponent when the Zags’ program moves to the Pac-12 Conference.
Gonzaga made this victory harder than needed, but it’s agreeable to know that last year’s group wouldn’t have been able to overcome this shortfall. The Zags are back at home on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 6:00 p.m. PT, as they host the Loyola Marymount Lions (10-6, 1-2 WCC) on ESPN+/KAYU FOX 28 for their fourth contest in seven days.
This will be a quieter atmosphere once again in the Kennel without the students who won’t return to campus when classes begin on Monday, Jan. 12. It’s disappointing for Princeton Tigers transfer Caden Pierce, who was on his official visit in Spokane, not to experience the true craziness that the atmosphere can be in that building. Pierce, a former high school teammate of Huff with Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is considering Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue, UConn, and Louisville. The 6-7 senior forward won the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year Award.
The Zags drop to No. 6 overall with the No. 6-ranked offense and No. 12-ranked defense in college basketball. A loss tonight would have moved Gonzaga down a whole seed, but now it stays on the No. 2 line for the NCAA Tournament.
As for the NET rankings, the Zags are No. 4 with a 3-1 record in Quad 1 opportunities and 4-0 in Quad 2.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
