No. 15 Gonzaga knew what it had in Braden Huff as the team’s returning centerpiece, but as with most teams these days, there were more question marks than sure things.
Following a neutral-site triumph over Purdue, coach Mark Few and the Bulldogs have a clearer picture of who may be their biggest contributors as they prepare for their home opener Saturday against New Mexico State in Spokane, Wash.
Second-year guard Davis Fogle supplied the scoring punch Gonzaga (1-0) needed against Purdue with a career-high 22 points in the 78-72 victory.
Meanwhile, the point guard and the five position were two major areas of uncertainty for the Bulldogs until late in the offseason. Xaivian Lee and Izan Almansa — both of whom faced eligibility challenges in the offseason — answered the bell in the opener.
Lee received a preliminary injunction in August as part of a larger group of Class of 2022 players seeking fifth years of NCAA eligibility. The former Princeton star, who spent last season at Florida, was a perfect fit for a Gonzaga program that suddenly lost its top point guard, Mario Saint-Supery, to a professional contract overseas.
It was Lee’s second straight season opener in Las Vegas after Florida played in the Hall of Fame Series last year. He tallied 18 points, four rebounds and three assists Monday — and, crucially, went 3-for-4 from 3-point range, not known to be one of his strengths in years past.
“I think it’s kind of poetic that our first game is the exact same as my one last year,” Lee said. “It’s definitely a lot nicer to come out here with a win, but the last couple days I’ve been really thankful to be out here with these guys and playing.
“Obviously, we can still get a lot better and I think we will, but we executed pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop started at the five but got into foul trouble, and Almansa wound up playing the bulk of the minutes, finishing with 11 points and four boards.
Almansa, who comes from Real Madrid, only secured his eligibility in late October. Few had high praise for the Spaniard postgame.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Few said. “He’s just an easy-going guy. He reminds me so much of (former Gonzaga star) Killian Tillie with how you can initiate offense with him. He’s got a wonderful feel for the game.”
With a home game against LSU on the horizon, Gonzaga will tune up against New Mexico State (1-0), which is coming off an uneven performance.
In their opener Tuesday, the Aggies trailed Division II Western New Mexico by nine points during the first half and by five at halftime. DJ Dudley and Mark Lavrenov each scored 13 points in the second half to help the hosts win 73-66.
Dudley finished with 22 points and four 3-pointers and Lavrenov had 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Aggies shot 55.6% after halftime (15 of 27) to complete the comeback, but New Mexico State coach Jason Hooten’s chief concern was that his team was outrebounded by nine.
“There’s nobody stopping you from going to get it,” Hooten said. “You got to go get it, and then when the shot goes up, you got to hit somebody. You got to hit them and you got to block out.
“So really, my only concern leaving here … is just the fact that we got outrebounded by a team that we’re bigger than. And we do have to get that part figured out.”
Gabe Warren, who Hooten called New Mexico State’s best player, landed badly on his knee early in the opener and tore his ACL. The senior guard, a transfer from Holy Cross, will miss the remainder of the season, Hooten said.
