Gonzaga Holds Off Purdue in Season Opener

No. 15 Gonzaga opened its season with a 78-72 win over Purdue in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas on November 2. The Bulldogs had lost all five of their previous meetings with Purdue, dating back to 1998, and extended their season-opening winning streak to 23 games.

Davis Fogle led Gonzaga with 22 points and five rebounds. Xaivian Lee, making his debut for Gonzaga after transferring from Florida, scored 18 points and had three assists. Izan Almansa added 11 points and Braden Huff scored 10.

Gonzaga made 26 of 34 free throws, compared with 15 of 21 for Purdue. Lee scored eight points in the opening five minutes of the second half, and finished 7 of 9 from the line. Fogle went 9 of 10 on free throws.

The Bulldogs led for nearly 35 minutes, but Purdue stayed close behind center Daniel Jacobsen, who scored 22 points while dealing with foul trouble. After Gonzaga went ahead 67-56 with 5:50 remaining, Purdue put together a 10-1 run to cut the gap to two. Gonzaga held on for the win.

Gonzaga is scheduled to host New Mexico State on November 7. Purdue is set to host Valparaiso on November 6.