Gonzaga’s Karnowski draws a crowd inside

SALT LAKE CITY – Przemek Karnowski had company, lots of it, in the lane, even when he didn’t have the ball.

South Dakota State packed its defense inside on Gonzaga’s senior center so much Karnowski probably felt like he was stuck in an elevator.

“Basically every dribble, they tried to double or triple (team),” he said. “They were making sure we weren’t getting any easy shots close to the basket. That was their game plan. We just had to adjust.”

It was obvious why SDSU adopted the strategy when Karnowski finally found space to operate, scoring three baskets in 80 seconds as Gonzaga opened up a 54-36 lead. He finished with 10 points.

“We just had to adjust,” Karnowski said. “But the guys stuck together and still had confidence to make those shots and that was huge for us.”