Zags Hold On Depsite Portland Scare

Feb 5, 2014; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard

(11) passes the ball in front of Portland Pilots guard

(11) during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a second half scare, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were able to hold on against the Pilots by a score of 71-66.

The Bulldogs held a 40-23 lead at halftime, and a blowout seemed imminent. However, the Pilots kept their composure and used three-point shooting and tenacious defense to eventually grab the lead. The Zags retook the lead, and with 2:27 left to play, back-to-back 3-pointers by David Stockton and Kevin Pangos put the Pilots down for good.

Kevin Pangos, David Stockton and Angel Nunez all led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 apiece. Przemek Karnowski struggled on the offensive end of the floor (3 points), but Karnowski led the Bulldogs in rebounding with 9. David Stockton dished out 5 assists, a team-high.

Ryan Nicholas – a Spokane native – led the Pilots with 15 points and 15 rebounds. His tremendous performance was slightly not enough for Portland to pull off the second upset of the Zags. Kevin Bailey and Bryce Pressley also posted double-digit points with 13 and 11 apiece. Alec Wintering was the Pilots leading distributor with 7 assists.

Keys to the Game Checklist

Gonzaga

(X) Focus on the task at hand: If this article was written at halftime, I would have given the Bulldogs a check. They were focused and energetic in the first half, allowing the Bulldogs to get out to a big lead.

However, in the second half they were less enthusiastic and settled for way too many outside jumpers. The Bulldogs inability to play a consistent 2 halves was what put them in the situation for an upset in the first place.

Portland

(X) Riley Barker: Barker was a non-factor in this game, scoring only 4 points and grabbing 1 rebound. Coach Reveno elected to go to Volodymyr Gerun over Barker, most likely because of the matchups.

Player of the Game

Ryan Nicholas

15 points and 15 rebounds in the losing effort.

Thoughts After

I predicted Portland would give the Zags a close game, but I did not think it would transpire the way it did. Portland came out super flat in the beginning, letting the Bulldogs jump to an early lead. The way they battled back and mounted a comeback was impressive, and showed a lot about the mental fortitude of that team.

As for Gonzaga, the Bulldogs will need to regroup and focus on getting better for their game against Memphis on Saturday. That type of performance will not cut it versus the Tigers.