Dons’ top scorer Souley Boum will put Gonzaga defensive ace Silas Melson to the test

San Francisco’s top offensive weapon has been freshman guard Souley Boum. The Oakland product has been in a bit of a slump, but he managed 12 points in Thursday’s loss to Loyola Marymount. In the two games before that, Boum was just 4 of 14 from the field for a combined 12 points.

Boum has been highly effective on 3-pointers (44 percent) and at the free-throw line (89 percent), where he trails only GU’s Rui Hachimura (91 percent) among WCC players. The 6-foot-3, 145-pound Boum has struggled mightily on 2-pointers (33 of 98).

Boum averages 14.1 points and more than one-third of his points have come at the foul line.

GU defensive ace Silas Melson will probably start out on Boum. The Zags obviously want to run Boum off the 3-point line and defend without fouling. One of the team’s defensive tenets seems to apply: Make the opponent take tough 2s.