How does a team overcome its first loss of the season while facing a top-15 program that also has a lot to prove after its first loss?

Ask Gonzaga basketball head coach Mark Few – he and his coaching staff seemed to have all the answers to lead the Bulldogs to an 89-73 victory over No. 14 Indiana on Thursday and into the Battle 4 Atlantis game for the to take fifth place.

The Zags (5-1) wasted no time putting their overtime loss to West Virginia behind them, as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the Hoosiers (4-2) in the opening minutes before pulling ahead took a double-digit lead at halftime. Oumar Ballo kept Indiana in the fight early, making it a 1-point game just before the 9-minute mark in the first half, but despite the former Zag’s efforts, Gonzaga capitalized on second-chance opportunities and transition points , to get to 21-2 point run highlighted by an alley-oop dunk from Khalif Battle. The sixth-year guard led his team with 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while five of his teammates scored in double figures, thanks in large part to Ryan Nembhard’s 13 assists.

With the win, Gonzaga will play fifth-seeded Providence/Davidson on Friday at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Bulldogs impose their will deeply

Braden Huff noted that the Bulldogs didn’t have much of a presence in their loss to the Mountaineers. The Zags shot a game-worst 19 of 44 (43.2%) from the interior and never established themselves on the low block, instead settling for 3-pointers when their first effort failed to result in a score from 5 feet Distance led.

Ballo and 6-foot-2 forward Mackenzie Mgbako presented a different kind of challenge, but despite a good start from Ballo, who scored 17 of his team’s first 31 points, Gonzaga’s big players controlled the interior and the boards overall. The Zags outscored the Hoosiers 42-27 and outscored their opponents 23-4 in second-chance points.

“Our bigs did a good job,” Few said after the game. “This is the first team we’ve played that’s a bit like us – they throw the ball inside a lot, really duck in and really put a lot of pressure on you to foul. We had massive foul problems in the first half. They got into even more trouble in the second half. But they kept playing. They kept repeating and moving them back and forth and were able to stay in the game.”

Ballo gave the Hoosiers a much-needed spark after they fell behind 8-0. The 7-foot, 237-pound redshirt senior managed a pair of right-handed hook shots to put his team in position to compete with the third-ranked team in the country. Ballo led all scorers with 25 points.

“Obviously he’s gotten a lot better,” Few said of Ballo. “I mean, that was six years ago (when Ballo came to Gonzaga as a freshman)? He is older and in great shape. I’m happy for him. That right-handed hook went tonight, but we were okay with it. We just didn’t want him to get too much between us and the basket.”

Michael Ajayi had his best game as a Zag, scoring 15 points and nine rebounds on 5 of 9 from the field, while Ike finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ben Gregg scored 13 points off the bench and remained at center, while Ike and Huff were benched in the second half due to foul trouble.

AN EMPHATIC ANSWER

Gonzaga’s players appeared ready to wash away the dramatic loss to WVU as soon as they got off the floor Wednesday. A short memory is somewhat necessary when playing three games in so many days, regardless of the final result. It’s safe to say the Bulldogs adopted that mentality heading into Thursday’s consolation game.

“You say a lot in a 24-hour period like that,” Few said in regards to how he addressed his team after the loss to WVU. “We talked about how in a game like last night where it comes down to one or two possessions, we need to be able to perform, especially on defense. I didn’t feel like we played particularly well last night.”

The Zags flipped the script on that end of the floor against the Hoosiers. While Ballo rolled deep, his teammates couldn’t do much on offense from distance. Indiana’s starting backcourt of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle combined for 12 points on 4 of 14 from the field. Malik Reneau, who led the Cardinals with 21 points, gave everyone goosebumps in the first half before finishing the night with a quiet six points in 24 minutes of play.

ON PROVIDENCE/DAVIDSON

The Zags can enjoy the rest of their Thanksgiving holiday as they await their opponent for the fifth-place game tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. PST. At the end of its trip to the Bahamas, Gonzaga will face the winner of Providence (5-1) against Davidson (4-1).

The Friars nearly pulled off a wild comeback against Oklahoma in the final minutes of their quarterfinal game on Wednesday. The Sooners led by nine points with 44 seconds left, but missed free throws and a traveling injury made it a 2-point game in the final seconds. Wesley Cardet Jr. had 17 points, Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph each had 16 and Corey Floyd Jr. scored 13 for Providence.

The Wildcats were beaten 104-71 by No. 24 Arizona on Wednesday. Connor Kochera scored 20 points and Bobby Durbin made five 3s for Davidson, shooting 38% from the field.

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