SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco kept Gonzaga close for most of the first half Thursday night. This is in part why some believe that the Dons could not just earn their first NCAA Tournament bid after 25 years, but create some problems once they get there.
They didn’t come any closer to overcoming the Bulldogs. They scored on eight of their first possessions, and were at 52 points by halftime. They relied heavily on the versatility of their All American players in the frontcourt to defeat the Dons 89-73.
Chet Holmgren, a freshman, led the Zags with 21 points & 15 rebounds. The 7-footer has made a habit out of performing his best in front hostile road WCC crowds. He also added six blocks just shy of his season-high and four steals.
Drew Timme, a junior forward, was more of a point forward Thursday night. He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, as well as eight assists, for his first career triple-double.
The defense was much better in the second period, and it helped when Chet was back there protecting the rim, Gonzaga coach Mark Few stated. We did a much better job with coverages, and theyre a dangerous 3-point shooter team. It was a lot of shots. I thought we did a good job of chasing them off the lines when we could.
Gonzaga (24-2 and 13-0) is now one win away from completing a second consecutive unbeaten regular WCC season. The Bulldogs will close their WCC slate Saturday with a nationally-televised matchup against No. 23 Saint Marys (23-6; 11-3). The game will start at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The Zags were able to weather an early offensive storm from USF and managed to ignore chants by passionate, at times rowdy USF student who directed overrated barbs against Holmgren most of the first half. They also hurled mini rubber basketballs at Holmgren’s bench on three occasions within the final 10 minutes.
Holmgren stated that it is a common sound, and that there are between 500 and 1,000 people who hear it. It is very clear that you hear it but youre so busy with other things that you aren’t paying attention. It doesn’t register for me and it doesn’t distract me from what’s happening on the ground. I just want to do my best and win the game.
Holmgren and The Zags, with their record, ranking, and star power, have attracted that level of attention to almost every game this season. However, it hasn’t stopped them from doing their best and sometimes even inspires them to stretch their legs on both ends of a floor.
Just minutes after Gonzagas 7-footer was made to chant “overrated” chants by USF students, Gonzagas 7 footer turned in another impressive play when he took a defensive rebound, weaved past four or five defenders, then took off a few feet inside the free throw line before completing the play with a two-handed, uncontested dunk.
Holmgren stated that you don’t know what happens until it happens. You have to do the read live, and sometimes someone will step in and stop the ball. You might lose two people, but you won’t be able to pass the ball through two. It’s all about making the read. If two people step up and someone is willing to talk, you will find the open guy. There are times when transition is not seamless. Guys can get caught up in the chaos and get all hung up on each other.
USF, attempting to become the first WCC side by side of Saint Marys and BYU since 2014 to defeat the Bulldogs, kept Gonzaga in a single figure game until the final minutes of the second half. Holmgrens coast to-coast sequence made it eight-point game. With 1:48 remaining, freshman Hunter Sallis scored a 3-pointer from the next possession to extend Gonzagas lead at 50-39.
The Zags lead by as much at 19 points in the second quarter and never trail by less than 10.
Andrew Nembhard (17 and Julian Strawther 15) combined for 32 Gonzaga point totals. Rasir Bolt had nine and Sallis had seven. Strawther took a hard fall and landed on his back while contesting a 3-pointer in the first half, but returned to the game after spending a few minutes with GU’s athletic training staff.
Bouyea, who scored 25 points in the first meeting with Gonzaga, was held to 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting while USF’s second-leading scorer, Khalil Shabazz, scored a team-high points on 6-of-18 shooting. Shabazz landed on his nose late in the second half and appeared to lose a significant amount of blood before returning to his feet and returning to USF’s bench with a towel covering his nose.
