Recap and highlights: Balanced Gonzaga offense leads rout of San Diego 105-63
SAN DIEGO – Gonzaga forward Braden Huff had a career night and the Bulldogs pulled away early, rolling to an easy win over West Coast Conference foe San Diego.
Huff poured in a career-high 26 points – and headlined the Zags’ breakaway run midway through the first half – as Gonzaga trounced the Toreros 105-63 on Saturday evening at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Huff, a 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman from Illinois, shot 12 of 17 from the field. He tallied 10 points in just over 2 minutes during Gonzaga’s 22-0 run. The Zags led 11-9 at the 14:11 mark of the first period and the lead grew to 33-9 with 8:39 left in the half.
Gonzaga (13-5, 4-1 WCC) led 54-27 at halftime and didn’t let up.
The Zags played a crisp offensive game, shooting 56.5% from the field and 10 of 25 (40%) on 3-point attempts. San Diego (10-10, 0-5) shot 34.8% from the field and 6 of 26 (23.1%) from beyond the arc. Gonzaga piled up 54 points in the paint and outrebounded the Toreros 51-28.
The 42-point margin of victory marked Gonzaga’s biggest win of the season against a Division I opponent. It was the Zags’ fifth 100-point game of the season. Gonzaga last crossed the 100-point threshold in a 101-74 win over San Diego on Jan. 6 in Spokane.
Six players scored in double figures for the Zags. Forward Ben Gregg had 15 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Guard Nolan Hickman added 13 points and forward Anton Watson posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Gonzaga returns to Spokane for a WCC tilt against San Francisco. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday.
First half
19:40 – GU 0, SD 0: Gregg back in the starting lineup and makes a solid play on defense after the Toreros win the tipoff.
15:46 – SD 7, GU 5: Toreros take an early lead on a 3-pointer from Hayes. Jamerson, who is returning from injury, commits his second foul at the first media timeout.
Ike has four points, making a pair of inside shots and Watson adds a free throw. Hickkman and Nembhard both missed outside shots.
12:50 – GU 18, SD 9: Zags take over on a 13-2 run with solid play all over the court.
Stromer comes off the bench and knocks down a 3-pointer. Hickman gets a block and makes a jumper on the other end. Nembhard makes a tough layup and San Diego calls a timeout.
11:50 – GU 20, SD 9: Stromer pulls down an offensive rebound in traffic and Huff is fouled at the U12 media timeout. Balanced effort from the Zags with five scorers in the early going.
San Diego just 4 of 13 from the field (1 of 6 on 3-pointers), three turnovers and five fouls. GU outrebounding SD 10-4.
8:25 – GU 33, SD 11: Toreros go to the line and snap a 28-2 Gonzaga run, as this one quickly got out of hand. Zags get 10 point off the bench from Huff, as GU is shooting 72% from the field and have made 3 of 5 3-point attempts.
6:53 – GU 40, SD 18: Toreros get their scoring going and they need it to keep up with the Zags, who have made their last eight attempts at the U8 media timeout.
Huff adds to his total with a 3, up to 14 points in the game. Watson adds eight points and Ike has six.
3:09 – GU 45, SD 23: Zags cooling off offensively, but their maintaining a large lead at the U4 media timeout. Will be important to not let the Toreros get any life in the time before half.
Halftime
Gonzaga could do no wrong for most of the first half, going on a 28-2 run to build a 54-27 lead over host San Diego.
Braden Huff has provided a big boost of the bench with 18 points in 12 minutes. He leads seven Zags scorers, ahead of Anton Watson (11 points) and Nolan Hickman (seven). Ryan Nembhard has six points and five assists.
Second half
18:10 – GU 60, SD 31: Gregg back out there to start the second half. Hickman knocks down a 3-pointer to extend GU’s lead.
15:46 – GU 64, SD 38: Gregg taps one in after an Ike miss at the U16 media timeout.
Nembhard and Hickman join Huff and Watson in double figures with 10 points apiece. Nembhard adds five assists and no turnovers.
11:25 – GU 77, SD 44: Zags cruising at the U12 media timeout, enjoying a 23-17 advantage in the second half.
7:48 – GU 88, SD 49: Huff gets back into the action and brings his total to 22 points. He leads five Zags in double figures along with Gregg (14), Hickman (13), Watson (12) and Nembhard (12).
3:57 – GU 95, SD 59: Reserves in for the Zags. Huff hits a career high with 26 points.
Pregame
Gonzaga showed it can win on the road, now it’s time to do it twice.
The Bulldogs (12-5, 3-1 West Coast) had one of its best halves of the season on Thursday, outscoring Pepperdine 46-21 in the second half, after being tied at halftime.
Which version of the Zags will come out today?
GU is in San Diego for their second game against the Toreros (10-9, 0-4) this season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with the broadcast on KHQ and Root Sports. It is also available on ESPN+ outside the region.
The Zags handled the Toreros 101-74 in Spokane on Jan. 6. It was a comfortable rout for GU, which got a career game from forward Ben Gregg (22 points in 25 minutes). Gregg got his first start in Thursday’s win and figures to be back in the starting lineup tonight.
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