Braden Huff looks to follow up a near-perfect outing when No. 7 Gonzaga faces Oregon on Sunday at neutral Portland.
Huff scored a career-high 37 points on 16-of-18 shooting in Campbell’s 98-70 home loss Wednesday. He made all 12 of his attempts in the first half.
Huff’s production was the most by a Bulldogs player since Julian Strawther scored 40 points in an 82-67 win over Portland on Jan. 28, 2023.
“It’s pretty cool, but obviously I couldn’t have done it without these guys,” Huff said after the Bulldogs improved to 11-1. “…So that made my job pretty easy.”
Huff is averaging 25.5 points on 75.9 percent from the field (44 of 58) during Gonzaga’s four-game winning streak. He accumulated these 102 points in just 114 minutes.
Overall, he’s shooting 67.8 percent from the field — fifth best in the country — while leading the Zags with 19 points per game.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few was impressed with Huff’s effort, as Campbell placed a lot of emphasis on trying to shut the Bulldogs up inside.
“Their positions were pretty tough and physical and toughed us out, toughed us out,” Few said. “Fronting – not allowing our guys to touch – and for him to put up 37 on that, being so efficient, it’s incredible.”
Graham Ike added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs. He ranks second in scoring (17.0) and leads Gonzaga in rebounding (8.1).
Gonzaga has been firing on all cylinders since being defeated 101-61 by No. 7 Michigan in the Players Era tournament title game on Nov. 26.
The Bulldogs won the next four games by an average of 31 points, including 35-point victories over then-No. 18 Kentucky and 51 over North Florida. They also produced an 82-72 victory over then-No. 25 UCLA on December 13 in Seattle before routing the Fighting Camels.
Gonzaga and Oregon are meeting for only the third time since 1984.
The teams have met only once in this century, a period in which the Zags have been in the upper echelon of the sport. Gonzaga won this game 73-72 in overtime on November 28, 2019 in the Bahamas.
The Ducks (8-5) enter with consecutive wins after losing five in a row.
Oregon beat Portland 94-69 on Wednesday with a team-first effort in which five players scored in double figures and the Ducks had a season-high 23 assists. Oregon made 13 3-pointers, its second-best total of the campaign.
“We had some really good looks, especially when the ball was moving backwards,” Ducks coach Dana Altman said. “Some of those three, we look really good inside out. So you know, really good stuff.”
Kwame Evans Jr. had 21 points and seven rebounds to pace Oregon. He ranks third on the team with a 13.6 scoring average and leads in rebounding (7.7).
“When we swing the ball, we get good shots, guys in a rhythm,” Evans said. “And we tour a lot, we work on it a lot.”
Nate Bittle added 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Dezdrick Lindsay made four triples while scoring 14 points.
Leading scorer Jackson Shelstad (16.2) also scored 14 points and Sean Stewart added 12.
Bittle ranks second in scoring (13.7) and has a team-leading 17 blocked shots, despite missing two games.
The Ducks enter the matchup with some momentum.
“It was positive. It was a step in the right direction,” Altman said after the win over Portland. “I wish we had taken these steps in November, rather than December… We are still a work in progress.”
–Field level media
