National Basketball Association
Gonzaga 96, San Diego 38
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 23, 2017
Where: Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, California
Officials:
# Michael Irving, # Dennis Flannery Jr., # Kevin Brill
Attendance:
5100
By The Sports Xchange
Top-ranked Gonzaga is one game away from completing an undefeated regular season after Thursday night's 96-38 drubbing of host San Diego behind five scorers in double figures in a West Coast Conference game.
The Bulldogs are 29-0 (17-0 in the WCC) with the last regular-season game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday night. They clinched the outright regular-season conference title with Thursday's victory.
"It would be an amazing accomplishment," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said about going unbeaten in the regular season. "BYU has beat us two years in a row in The Kennel (McCarthey Center in Spokane, Wash.). The most important thing to me is righting that ship."
San Diego (12-17, 5-12) shot 24.1 percent from the field.
Gonzaga's 58-point victory margin is the largest ever for a No. 1-ranked team on the road. The deficit is also the largest margin of defeat in a WCC game for San Diego.
Gonzaga shot 66.1 percent from the field, led by 15 points apiece from Jordan Mathews and Josh Perkins. Mathews and Perkins made eight of the Bulldogs' 13 shots from 3-point range, a number that ties the Bulldogs' season high.
Johnathan Williams had 14 points and a career-high 19 boards, almost outrebounding San Diego on his own. The Toreros were outrebounded 51-20.
Nigel Williams-Goss added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists and Zach Collins had 12 points and seven rebounds.
"They absolutely played at a high level and we didn't play so well," San Diego coach Lamont Smith said. "They tend to do that to you."
San Diego was led by Olin Carter III's 15 points. No other teammate had more than seven.
The Toreros were cold from the start, trailing 16-3 with 10:30 left in the first half while making only 1 of 15 from the field.
"I think the biggest lesson we learned tonight is that when things don't go your way still have to stay the course," Smith said. "When shots didn't fall, we got dejected."
Gonzaga took a 44-16 lead at halftime while shooting 58.6 percent from the field compared to San Diego's 19.4. Williams had a double-double by halftime with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Perkins had 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Carter had eight of San Diego's 16 points at halftime, making 3 of 10 from the field. His teammates shot 3 of 21.
He finished making 6 of 16 shots from the field while the rest of the Toreros were 8 of 42.
"Our guys have done an amazing job all season adhering to the game plan and keeping an edge defensively," Few said. "Our guys deserve all the credit for our success."
This marks the fifth straight season the Bulldogs have either shared or owned the conference title outright. They have 20 WCC titles, 16 conference championships in the last 17 years, and 18 of the past 20.
"It's time now to win some big games," Few said. "You need to be at your best when your best is needed."
Williams, a junior power forward transfer from Missouri, pulled down 41 rebounds in his last three games. He had 87 in the previous 14 conference games.
"The way he's rebounding the ball and the energy on defense is contagious," Few said. "He's involved with a lot of switches on defenses and is an anchor for us inside. He has stepped up when we needed him the most."
NOTES: San Diego is 6-10 in home games and 1-7 in WCC home contests. ... Gonzaga became the sixth team in the last 40 seasons to start 28-0. Four of the previous five teams advanced to Final Four. ... San Diego F Brett Bailey had a streak of scoring 17 or more points in 12 straight games earlier this season. He has nine games of 20 or more points. ... The Bulldogs lead the nation by beating opponents by an average of 24.9 points. They won WCC games by an average of 28.2 points. Gonzaga won 22 straight games by double-digits. This season, the Bulldogs won 21 games by 20 points or more.
Top Game Performances
| Gonzaga |
|
San Diego |
|
Jordan Mathews 15 |
Scoring |
Olin Carter III 15 |
|
Josh Perkins 6 |
Assists |
Tyler Williams 4 |
|
Johnathan Williams 19 |
Rebounds |
Cameron Neubauer 5 |
|
Nigel Williams-Goss 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Tyler Williams 2 |
|
Jordan Mathews 2 |
Steals |
Juwan Gray 5 |
|
Zach Collins 1 |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Gonzaga
|
96 |
66.1 |
13-25 |
9-17 |
23 |
49 |
2 |
4 |
10 |
| San Diego
|
38 |
24.1 |
6-30 |
4-8 |
9 |
19 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
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