WCC Tournament Recap: Gonzaga Overcomes Slow Start to Beat San Francisco

San Francisco gave it all they had and gave Gonzaga a tough game.  Gonzaga ended up winning the game 81-72.

San Francisco came out firing and by halftime San Francisco was leading 29-27.  Mark Tollefsen and Tim Derksen both finished with 21 points.  They were ignited and ready to play right away.  The Zags played a similar way.  The Zags played a similar game to the games they were playing before their loss to BYU.  They started out slow, but then went on a run in the second half and won the game.

The Zags looked a little rusty after having a few days off, but in the second half they looked fresh and rested.

Przemek Karnowski put up 24 points in the game.  This was a career high for him.  He also had two key blocks.  He dominated down low.  He played with intensity and passion.  Kyle Wiltjer also had a good game, scoring 19 points and hauling in eight rebounds as well as dishing out four assists.  Wiltjer went down with what looked like a hip injury.  Apparently the injury is not serious and he will be evaluated on Sunday.

More from 2015 WCC Tournament

• Looking Back on Gonzaga’s Season
• Gonzaga Wins Men’s WCC Championship
• BYU Wins Women’s WCC Tournament Championship
• WCC Tournament Men’s Final Preview: #1 Gonzaga vs. #2 BYU
• WCC Championship Keys to the Game: Gonzaga

Gonzaga’s Kyle Dranginis had a good game with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists.  He is usually known as more of a defensive specialist, but in this game he contributed more than usual on the offensive end of the court.

Gonzaga will move on to face Pepperdine in the semifinals.  This is a Pepperdine team that has been surprisingly good this year. Hopefully Gonzaga carries the momentum from the win over San Francisco into the game against Pepperdine.

It has been an interesting tournament so far and I expect it to remain entertaining!