No. 25 Gonzaga Upset by San Diego
By Josh Horton
Feb 22, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Toreros guard Johnny Dee (1) celebrates with fans on the court after a win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Jenny Craig Pavillion. The Toreros won 69-66. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Students in the “Slim Gym” stormed the court, and head coach Billy Grier celebrated his 69-66 victory over the team he was previously an assistant coach at.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs lost their second straight game, when the Toreros handed them an L at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego Calif.
Johnny Dee led the Toreros with 16 points. Duda Sanadze chipped in 15 points as well. Dennis Kramer was San Diego’s leading rebounder with seven rebounds. Toreros point guard Christopher Anderson led the Toreros with seven assists.
Gonzaga was led by Sam Dower, who put up team-highs in both points and rebounds with 18 and 15 respectively. Przemek Karnowski fouled out with about four minutes left in the game but he chipped in 17 points off 8-10 from the field before doing so. Gary Bell’s was the other Zag in double figures with 11 points. David Stockton had 5 assists to lead the Bulldogs.
Keys to the Game Checklist
Gonzaga
(Push) Make the 3-ball:
The Bulldogs were 6-13 from beyond the arc, but a few more 3’s would have put the Zags over the edge in this one. Gonzaga did not shoot poorly from beyond the arc, but they did not do enough to win the game.
San Diego
(Check plus) Don’t let GU take it out on you:
San Diego did not seem overwhelmed with the No. 25 team in the county at any point in the game. When the Bulldogs made a run, the Toreros responded with an even bigger one.
Moving Forward
The Bulldogs had a chance to clinch the WCC with a victory tonight, but were not able to accomplish that with the upset loss. The Zags travel to Stockton and Moraga to close out the season.
San Diego picked up an enormous victory. Not only did the Toreros need a victory such as that to boost morale, they have a legitimate chance to catch Portland for the six-seed in the WCC standings, which in turn would mean a first round bye in the WCC tournament. USD hosts travel partner BYU for its final regular season game.