Gonzaga basketball's Mark Few shoulders blame after collapse vs. West Virginia
11/27/2024 06:39 PM
Gonzaga basketball built a program known for fast winning starts, never early season disappointment. Head coach Mark Few annually has the Bulldogs in the top 10 or five nationally conversation right away. West Virginia, however, disrupted Gonzaga’s Thanksgiving in the Bahamas Thursday.
The Bulldogs took a rare early season loss at the Atlantis Resort, falling 86-78 in overtime. The Mountaineers even entered as a massive 14.5-point underdog. West Virginia, instead, immediately hands No. 3 Gonzaga its first loss of the season. While the Bulldogs lost their third game last year to Purdue, that was against the No. 2 ranked team in the nation.
West Virginia walked in unranked and seated in eighth among Big 12 teams. The Mountaineers pulled off the latest stunner in a season already witnessing top five upsets — including Auburn’s take down of previous No. 5 Iowa State.
Few didn’t hesitate to reveal where the blame lies. He’s pointing the finger at himself.
Where Gonzaga’s Mark Few shouldered the most blame after loss
Gonzaga basketball reporter for the Spokane Review Theo Lawson shared how Few took one fault involving his guard Nolan Hickman, who got on the wrong end of a turnover in the extra period.
“I shoulda called a timeout as that thing was progressing, it didn't look great on the press break. I probably should have burned one, we had it in our two guards' hands and I trusted them,” Few revealed.
That Hickman turnover Few referred to culminated in a fast break slam dunk for WVU’s Sencire Harris and put them ahead 84-76. But Hickman’s TO was part of a litany of mistakes.
Gonzaga watched a 43-33 lead evaporate. Few and the Bulldogs still led 71-66 after wiping away a brief WVU rally. And that five point lead came with under 25 seconds left. The Bulldogs, however, failed to close out the game.
Tucker DeVries of WVU sliced the lead to 71-69 off his three-point jumper. DeVries tacked on two free throws to close out the second half. Khalif Battle even committed a late Gonzaga turnover on the offensive end, which came before time ran out.
Few and Gonzaga struggled containing Javon Small as well. The senior guard dropped 31 on the No. 3 ranked team while grabbing seven rebounds. Amani Hansberry added 19 points while DeVries pitched in 16. Toby Okani added 10 points.
Gonzaga’s leading scorer was bench player Braden Huff, who delivered 19 in 30 minutes. Battles scored 16 to lead the starting five while Hickman finished with 13.
But for Few, the 61-year-old with two Final Four appearances shared how even he makes coaching mistakes during games. He believed the Thursday disappointment on the island fell on his shoulders.
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