West Coast Convo
Fansided

After Slow Start, Zags Crush San Diego

By Mitch Krmpotich

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It was a bit of a strange game at first, but on Thursday, February 26 Gonzaga beat San Diego 59-39.

Both teams started out extremely slow.  At halftime the score was 22-17 in favor of Gonzaga.  The first half was a defensive battle for both teams.  Excellent defense on both sides as well as unlucky bounces led to a low scoring game.  Neither team could get very many shots to fall.  Toward the very end of the half the Bulldogs started to gain some momentum and go on a run.

Feb 26, 2015; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs center Przemek Karnowski (24) goes up for a shot against San Diego Toreros center Jito Kok (33) during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

This momentum carried over to the second half as San Diego did not have an answer for the Zags.  Przemek Karnowski had a strong game as he lead all scores with 14 points.  He also had eight rebounds.  His strength was apparent on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.  The big man also moved into fifth all time on Gonzaga’s shot blocking list.  Karnowski’s low post counterpart, Domantas Sabonis also had a strong game putting up 11 points along with seven rebounds.  Gonzaga was able to effectively drive to the basket and get high percentage looks.  Gary Bell Jr. drove to the basket very well and finished with 13 points.  Byron Wesley was also able to get to the hoop and finished with 12 points.  It was a quiet night for Kyle Wiltjer who finished with just five points and four rebounds.  This is fine for the Zags.  When their usual scorers don’t have their best nights there are plenty of other high caliber players on the team who can have great scoring output of their own.

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San Diego fell flat offensively.  Their highest scorer, Brandon Perry, had a team high nine points to go along with seven rebounds.  With no players in double digit scoring, the Toreros did not have an answer for Gonzaga in the second half.  Gonzaga’s stingy defense held San Diego to only 29.6% from the floor.  Senior guard, Johnny Dee only had six points and shot 2-10 on the night.  He is the leader of the Toreros, so this low output from him was quite detrimental to the team.

With only one more regular season game to go for both teams, excitement is in the air.  The Toreros will head to Portland to face the Pilots and to try to get their record to .500 before the regular season ends.  The Zags will remain at home as they face BYU in one of their biggest conference home games of the season.

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