Recap and highlights: Gonzaga hits century mark again in 104-67 rout of Texas Southern
Brandon Clarke and Josh Perkins each finished with a double-doubles as No. 3 Gonzaga overcame early foul trouble to rout Texas Southern 104-67 on Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane.
Clarke finished with 19 points on 9 of 13 shooting, along with grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. Perkins also scored 19 points for the Bulldogs (2-0), while dishing out 11 of the team’s 18 assists.
Perkins finished 6-of-11 shooting and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
The Bulldogs were forced to test their depth against the Tigers (1-1) as junior forward Rui Hachimura and sophomore guard Zach Norvell each picked up quick fouls.
Hachimura played only eight minutes in the first half after a pair of whistles went against him, while Norvell was called for three first-half fouls. Hachimura did play most of the second half, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds.
Gonzaga shot 52.1 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3-point range, while holding TSU to 34.3 and 26.9 percent respectively. Gonzaga also forced 15 TSU turnovers and blocked seven shots – six of which came from Clarke.
The Bulldogs, who scored 120 in their season-opening win over Idaho State, will remain at home as Texas A&M visits the Kennel at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday (ESPN2). Texas A&M, a Sweet 16 team last season, is 1-1 this season.
Second half
Final – Gonzaga 104, Texas Southern 67: Messy finish for the Bulldogs as coach Mark Few empties the bench. Perkins and Clarke the obvious standouts as Norvell and Hachimura battled foul trouble throughout the evening. TSU’s length didn’t seem to bother the Zags much, as GU still found most of its success from inside the paint.
Next up, a Thursday visit from a fading Texas A&M squad, who lost to UC Irvine on Friday night. Then it’s a weekend of rest before a trip to Maui for the Bulldogs.
In the final minutes Petrusev also works his way into double figures with 14 points, a first for the freshman at Gonzaga.
3:29 – Gonzaga 91, Texas Southern 59: Bulldogs really pouring it on late as the No. 3 team in the country is well within reach of the century mark once again.
Jeremy Jones with five quick points off the bench for GU. The redshirt senior figures to be GU’s fourth forward option while Killian Tillie surgery. Jones has also grabbed two rebounds in his 10 minutes.
Four Texas Southern players have reached double figures, but the Tigers have lacked that go-to scoring option throughout the night. Second chance points also huring TSU, as Gonzaga leads 15-5 in that department.
6:31 – Gonzaga 83, Texas Southern 53: Perkins joins the double-double club as he is up to 19 points and 11 assists. GU has 15 assists as a team.
Clarke also up to 19 points on an efficient 9 of 13 shooting. He’s also grabbed 13 of GU’s 45 rebounds.
Quiet night from the duo of Zach Norvell Jr. and Corey Kispert, who have a combined 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting.
GU dominating the points in the paint (44-20), along with points off turnovers (18-8).
10:37 – Gonzaga 70, Texas Southern 42: Hachimura joins the crew in double figures for the Zags with 11 points.
Bulldogs up for 49 percent shooting from the field, while the Tigers are slogging along at a 30.6 percent clip.
Jayln Patterson is the lone Texas Southern player in double figures with 10 points.
Petrusev also starting to get more involved on the offensive end with Clarke taking a break. The freshman big man has a bench-high seven points and five rebounds.
16:44 – Gonzaga 52, Texas Southern 26: After 12 minutes on the bench in the first half, Hachimura comes out of the break with a big slam.
Foul trouble still haunting Norvell though, who picks up his fourth foul just minutes into the second half.
Clarke’s defensive pressure leads to a high-flying sequence as the forward finds Perkins who returns the favor with an alley-oop. On the next possession, the Zags work the ball around to find Clarke wide open in the lane for another two-handed slam.
Clarke now with a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards. Perkins up to eight assists.
First half
Halftime – Gonzaga 46, Texas Southern 24: Clarke with an impressive opening 20 minutes for the Zags, who needed him to step up with Hachimura picking up two early fouls.
Clarke finishes the half with 11 points (5 of 9 shooting) and eight boards. On the defensive end, Clarke tallied four blocks.
Perkins also put in a solid first half, playing every minute. The senior point guard has 10 points to go with seven assists and only one turnover.
Gonzaga shoots 41.2 percent overall and 27.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half, while holding TSU to 25 and 27.3 percent respectively. Zags also go 15 of 17 from the free-throw line.
GU a little sloppy with the ball at times (six turnovers), but its defensive pressure forced the Tigers into nine turnovers and countless tough looks at the basket. Zags also cleaning up on the boards with 29 rebounds to Texas Southern’s 16.
3:53 – Gonzaga 36, Texas Southern 19: Even when the offensive flow isn’t quite there, Gonzaga’s defense keeps stepping up.
Clarke, a standout defender for the Spartans two season ago, makes his presence known with a massive block. Zags keep forcing the Tigers into tough looks, which is showing in TSU’s 26.9 field-goal percentage.
Perkins quietly up to 10 points for GU, including a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line. GU, which struggled from the charity stripe in its opener against Idaho State on Tuesday, is 10 of 11 from the free-throw line so far tonight.
Bulldogs shooting 41.4 percent from the floor, but are only 2 of 9 from deep. GU has also turned the ball over six times to TSU’s eight.
6:48 – Gonzaga 27, Texas Southern 17: Early concerns for the Zags as Hachimura picks up his second foul in the first 10 minutes. Bulldogs go with Petrusev and Clarke inside, along with do-it-all wing Corey Kispert to add some length.
Geno Crandall also gets his first court time of the night, but the grad transfer already has two turnovers.
Foul trouble continuing to mount for the Zags as Zach Norvell Jr. drills a 3-pointer before picking up his third personal foul of the game. GU up to six team fouls.
Clarke taking over scoring responsibilities for the Bulldogs, as the San Jose State transfer is up to eight points. Clarke also getting it done on the glass with six rebounds.
Texas Southern seems content to fire away from deep, but the Tigers are just 2 of 7 from 3-point range.
11:58 – Gonzaga 13, Texas Southern 10: After their hot start, the Gonzaga offense is starting to cool off. The lack of scoring coincides with Hachimura heading to the bench for a breather.
GU defense still making things tough for the Tigers, who are shooting 30.8 percent from the floor.
Zags also struggling to find their range, starting the game 0 for 3 from 3-point range.
Tigers up to five turnovers, while GU has three.
15:03 – Gonzaga 13, Texas Southern 5: The visiting Tigers quiet the Kennel for a quick second with a game-opening 3-pointer, but the Zags answer back with some tough defense leading to an 11-0 run.
Josh Perkins leading the defensive charge for the Bulldogs with an early steal and score. TSU up to four turnovers at the first media timeout.
Rui Hachimura with five quick points for GU. Filip Petrusev also gets some early game action as Brandon Clarke picks up a foul.
Zags stick with same Starting 5
