Sam Dowers Game Winning Shot Propels Zags’ over Broncos

Jan 29, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward/center Sam Dower (35) reacts after scoring a basket against the Santa Clara Broncos during the second half at Leavey Center. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 54-52. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

With 1.9 seconds left and the Bulldogs down 1 point, Gonzaga senior forward Sam Dower drilled a game winning 3-point jumper from the top of the key to allow the Bulldogs to escape the Leavey Center with a 54-52 victory.

Gonzaga was ultimately saved by Gary Bell Jr., who scored 13 of his 15 total points in the second half. He was the main force that erased a 7-point deficit in the first half. Dower and Przemek Karnowski also posted double-digit points with 13 and 11 points respectively. Kevin Pangos’ 4 assists were a team-high tonight for the Bulldogs.

Santa Clara was led by Evan Roquemore tonight, who scored 15 points on 5-8 shooting. Some of his shots down the stretch were the reason why Santa Clara was able to come back in the first place. Brandon Clark was not far behind Roquemore with 12 points. Yannick Atanga led the Broncos on the glass with 7 rebounds. Freshmen Jalen Richard and Jared Brownridge chipped in 3 assists a piece, both team-highs for the Broncos.

Keys to the Game Checklist

Santa Clara

(Check) Create Penetration: Even with Przemek Karnowski patrolling the middle of the paint, the Bronco guards – particularly Brandon Clark – was able to get in the lane and create points in the paint for Santa Clara.

Gonzaga

(Push) Perimeter Defense: If it were not for Evan Roquemores NBA range 3-pointers, the Bulldogs would have probably got a check mark here. 4 out of the 5 Santa Clara leading scorers were guards. Instead of letting their bigs’ beat them, the Bulldogs allowed the guards to try and get the job done for the Broncos.

Player of the Game

Sam Dower

Based on the finale of the game, this is an easy choice. To go along with his game winning shot, Sam Dower had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals on the evening.

The Bottom Line

With the narrow victory, Gonzaga improves to 9-1 in the conference while Santa Clara falls to 3-7.

Santa Clara could not get off the schneid and snap their 4-game losing streak. With the loss, it extends to 5-games.

A point of observation: there could be a change in Gonzaga’s guard rotation. Kyle Dranginis played 3 more minutes than David Stockton tonight and Gerard Coleman was only 2 behind him. While Stockton will likely remain a starter, his minutes could diminish based on the pressure by the Zags’ two reserve guards Coleman and Dranginis.