"We were proactive, jumped up and actually made plays" - Gonzaga coach Mark Few shares his thoughts after grinding out win over Xavier

Gonzaga had already lost two marquee matchups this season, including one on Friday, so how would the Bulldogs respond when facing a late, eight-point deficit? Julian Strawther scored 10 of his 23 points in the final 4:07 to power an 88-84 win over Xavier, which led by eight points in the final 6:21, on Sunday.

That reply when facing adversity came in contrast to when it was lacking Friday in an 84-66 loss to Purdue or Nov. 16 in a 93-74 loss to Texas, now ranked No. 2. In that context, the Bulldogs' performance to claim third place in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament on Sunday was encouraging.

"What happened in those games is we quit playing defense," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "I think our offense impacted our defense a little bit. We were a little too offensively sensitive. Today, we went back to the other end and made plays. ... We were proactive, jumped up and actually made plays. And I think that was the difference."

Also on Sunday, Purdue beat Duke 75-56 in the championship game. The two resume-building wins in the tournament pushed the Boilermakers (6-0) from 19th to fifth in Monday's poll. Gonzaga (5-2), meanwhile, tumbled from No. 8 to No. 15, while Duke (6-2) plunged from No. 9 to No. 17.

Gonzaga overcame a sluggish first half from marquee forward Drew Timme. He finished with 16 points after going 2-for-7 with four turnovers in the first half.

In the first half, Gonzaga stayed mostly in control, carrying a 40-34 lead into halftime. Xavier stayed within striking distance with solid play from Jack Nunge, who did a great job of making Gonzaga's Drew Timme uncomfortable, and Colby Jones. The Bulldogs' Anton Watson had an efficient game, with 10 first-half points (of 16 total) to cancel some of Timme's unforced errors.

In the second half, the Drew Timme who Gonzaga is used to seeing showed up in a big way. He went on an 8-0 run individually, scoring on four straight possessions. That included a really sweet spin move on the block to finish on the opposite side after losing his defender.

Gonzaga responds to Xavier's challenge

Xavier flipped the switch on and went on a 25-7 run sparked by its guards from the 14-minute mark and led 71-63 with 6:21 remaining. Colby Jones was a man possessed in every facet of the game, finishing with 22 points, seven assists, three assists and a steal.

Jack Nunge knew he had a tall task with Timme and Gonzaga's stellar big men. Nunge scored a season-high 25 points, including a big 3-pointer to put the Musketeers (4-3) up four with a little under eight minutes to go.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few said he told his team "there's plenty of possessions left and they have to respond" towards the latter end of Xavier's run.

"We showed a lot of guts and grit," Few said.

The Zags responded in a huge way offensively, behind Julian Strawther and Nolan Hickman's timely shooting down the stretch. The two, who combined for nine 3-pointers, led a 8-0 run to respond.

Gonzaga missed two one-and-one front-end opportunities, giving Xavier life down the stretch. Ultimately, Xavier was unable to capitalize and the Bulldogs were able to win.

Gonzaga has a big matchup with No. 6 Baylor (5-1) on Friday.