Coach Mark Few was not happy with the effort from his No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs (16-1, 4-0 WCC) in the last two meetings and sent a message. He went with his eighth different starting lineup of the 2025-26 season and gave freshman wing Davis Fogle (two points on 1-for-3 shooting in ten minutes) his first career start against the Loyola Marymount Lions (10-7, 1-3 WCC). Junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti, who was under the weather, came off the bench after seven straight starts and only added four points in 11 minutes.
It was a slow start for the Zags as the Lions opened up on a 14-4 run through the first seven minutes. They missed their first eight field goals of the game. After that point, Gonzaga didn’t look back and held Loyola Marymount to five points on 2-for-20 shooting for the next 13 minutes of the first half. Few’s unit finished the game on a 78-33 run during the final 33 minutes.
The defense is what sparked the run, competing from the tip to the finish on that side of the floor. Senior wing Jalen Warley, who scored 12 points on 6-for-7 field goals and grabbed seven rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench, spoke postgame with Dan Dickau on SWX about defense being the identity of this season’s team.
“It might not be my night, it might not be your night… but it’s always our night.” – Gonzaga’s Jalen Warley
Senior guard Adam Miller (11 points on 3-for-5 three-point shooting, three of the team’s nine steals) has been helping exceptionally on the defensive end, to go along with his sniping abilities. Making plays on defense gets his offense going. Miller told the media postgame that he’s proud of what he’s left out there when it comes to staying in front of his man and forcing turnovers in the passing lanes.
“I think at one point 13 stops in a row, something crazy like that. And another, like nine stops in a row. I remember hearing that… My defensive effort, loose balls, trying to get a rebound, guarding, I knew I could do that. I think I’ve had some rough games, but I done came too far with these guys to let that bother me.” – Gonzaga’s Adam Miller
On the offensive end, the Zags’ bench production was phenomenal once again, outscoring the starters at 53-29.
Graduate wing Tyon Grant-Foster (nine points on 4-for-7 field goals, four rebounds, one block, one steal) has been Gonzaga’s most impactful player at both ends to start conference play. He’s as aggressive as anyone when it comes to playing above the rim, throwing down dunk after dunk. The flush down the middle of the lane. The poster on senior forward Rokas Jocius off the Warley lob that brought energy back into the McCarthey Athletic Center. A near-hammer thrown over sophomore forward Jalen Shelley almost blew the lid off the building.
Freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery (13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and five assists/one turnover) is no longer sick and put together a memorable performance with his high-arcing floater, kisses off the glass, and bounce-pass no-look passes. He actually made his first two-point shot since Dec. 17, 2025.
As for the starting frontcourt duo, graduate forward Graham Ike and redshirt junior forward Braden Huff did their due diligence on the boards, combining for 16 rebounds and helping the team outrebound Loyola Marymount 46-33. Ike chipped in a game-high 16 points and three assists, while Huff added eight points and four assists. That was Huff’s first single-digit scoring output since March 10, 2025.
It’s hard to believe that the Zags trailed by double-digits at one point in this game. There were many scoring droughts from the Lions throughout, who struggled to make many looks from deep, which is very uncharacteristic. Coach Stan Johnson’s group came in hitting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc, ranking No. 49 in all of college basketball.
Junior guard Rodney Brown Jr., who was knocking down 41.0 percent of his three-point looks (No. 65-highest in the country), scored a team-high 11 points on 3-for-8 three-point shooting for Loyola Marymount. Redshirt senior guard Myron Amey Jr. hits 2.9 three-pointers per game (ranked No. 55-highest in the nation) but went 0-for-5 from deep vs. Gonzaga.
The Lions’ top four scorers in Amey Jr., Brown Jr., Shelley, and junior guard Jan Vide shot a mere 9-of-44 from the field. Few’s deep defense put that foursome in a headlock and wouldn’t let go.
“We have a lot of guys that can play defense. Let’s just start with that. A guy like Jalen (Warney), a guy like Emmanuel (Innocenti), when you have a big (Graham Ike) that’s become pretty darn dynamic, he was out on the perimeter guarding a pretty good player (Shelley) for long stretches, Ace (Miller) is flying around, you can put some guys out there that can really play defense.” – Gonzaga’s Mark Few
The Lions had their lowest scoring output since Nov. 21, 2021, against the Florida State Seminoles at the Jacksonville Classic with 47 points. Loyola Marymount usually hits 9.5 three-pointers per game (No. 75-most in the country), but went 6-for-23 at 23 percent on the road Sunday night.
The four games in a seven-day stint are over for the Zags, and the program has now won nine straight. This coast to a victory was much needed, given what this team has had to endure the last two games.
Next for Gonzaga is the Santa Clara Broncos (13-4, 4-0 WCC) in the Kennel on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 8:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2. The remaining undefeated team in conference play, along with the Zags and the Broncos, is the Saint Mary’s Gaels (15-2, 4-0 WCC).
Gonzaga moves up to No. 5 overall with the No. 7-ranked offense and No. 10-ranked defense. The Zags are No. 4 in the NET rankings 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
