Gonzaga Wins Ugly Against South Alabama 68 to 59
By Josh Horton
Dec 1, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Gary Bell Jr. (5) goes up for a basket against Coppin State Eagles forward Brandon St. Louis (40) during the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs beat Eagles 86-51 Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
The Gonzaga Bulldogs won in ugly fashion against South Alabama, downing the Jaguars by a score of 68 to 59.
Gary Bell Jr. was the top performer for the Bulldogs, with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Sam Dower Jr. recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. David Stockton was very active in the passing lanes tonight with 4 steals. Kevin Pangos paced the Bulldogs with 4 assists.
South Alabama was led by its star forward Augustine Rubit. Rubit dropped 35 points on the Bulldogs on 11 of 16 shooting and 3 of 3 shooting from 3. Jaguar point guard Barrington Stevens III led South Alabama in both rebounds and assists with 8 and 4 respectively.
Stat of the Night
Gonzaga had its worst offensive performance of the season with 40 percent shooting from the field, 14 percent from beyond the arc and a total of 68 points.
Keys to the Game Checklist
Twin Towers – X
Dower and Przemek Karnowski combined for 19 points tonight. The Zag frontcourt combined to shoot 9 of 23 from the field. The Bulldogs tried to get “Shem” and Dower involved, but they just couldn’t get them to fall, especially Karnowski.
Box Out – Check
The Bulldogs did not let the Jaguars to kill them on the glass tonight, and outrebounded the Jags 38-35.
The Bottom Line
Sluggish, boring, and lackadaisical are adjectives that can be used to describe this game. The Bulldogs were never in any real threat to be upset, but did not play even close to their best game tonight.
I predicted a double-digit victory tonight for the Bulldogs, and they ended up winning by 9. The Zags let South Alabama hang around for the entirety of the game. In the end, the Jaguars did not have enough weapons to take down Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs need to make sure they use this game as a teaching moment so they don’t play this way again against a team that actually has the capability of defeating them.