PORTLAND, Ore. — There wasn't one specific thing coach Mark Few could point to in trying to explain Gonzaga's struggles against Portland.
It all went wrong.
''Just outplayed us, outexecuted us, outshot us,'' Few said. ''When they got open shots, they made them. And we didn't. Literally every phase of the game.''
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga lost 87-80 to the Pilots on Wednesday night, snapping a 15-game winning streak.
Favored by 21 1/2 points according to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Bulldogs (22-2, 10-1 West Coast Conference) had won 20 straight against Portland — and 19 of those were by double digits. The Pilots' previous victory over the Zags came on Jan. 9, 2014, an 82-73 win in Portland. Gonzaga was ranked No. 18 in that game.
The Pilots had never defeated a team in the top 10. That win over the Bulldogs in 2014 was their last victory against a ranked opponent.
Portland led by as many as 15 points, but Gonzaga closed the gap in the final two minutes, coming as close as 84-80 with 30 seconds left. Portland, riding both its own momentum and the cheers of its home crowd, held on for the win and the fans rushed the court.
''I think when you have a program like ours, and we're having a season like we're having, I think you always feel like you've got to respond — but then you've got to respond. You can't be talking about it,'' Few said about the expectation that Gonzaga would eventually pull out the win. ''You've got to bear down and get stops on defense."
