Texas Tech’s Matt Mooney hoping for better result in second shot at Gonzaga
![Texas Tech's Matt Mooney was on the wrong end of a Gonzaga blowout as a sophomore at South Dakota. (Jeff Roberson / AP)](https://thumb.spokesman.com/uO6q6eDqVn9RLDznlEJuDvMVKgE=/600x0/media.spokesman.com/graphics/2018/07/sr-loader.png)
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Texas Tech senior guard Matt Mooney remembers the full house, a few of GU’s players and the beatdown on the scoreboard.
This is round two for Mooney vs. Gonzaga. The first one didn’t go as planned for Mooney as a sophomore at South Dakota.
“They killed us,” said Mooney, a grad transfer who averages 10.9 points and 3.3 assists for the third-seeded Red Raiders. “They had (Josh) Perkins, (Rui) Hachimura, I don’t know if they had anybody else. We hung with them early, but I remember they killed us. It was not fun.”
Gonzaga rolled to a 102-65 win on Dec. 21, 2016. Mooney had 13 points and six rebounds.
“I remember not playing as well as I wanted to,” Mooney said. “It was probably one of the most embarrassing losses of my career. I think that was the only time we really got blown out.”
The 2017 Zags reached the NCAA championship game, falling to North Carolina. South Dakota won the Summit League regular-season title and played in the NIT.
![Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few smiles with forwards Brandon Clarke (15) and Rui Hachimura (21) during a press conference on Friday, March 29, 2019, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The Zags will face Texas Tech in the NCAA men](https://thumb.spokesman.com/ufadhrjdwwemlV-N_RYYBlErMtw=/1200x800/smart/media.spokesman.com/photos/2019/03/30/SRX_GONZAGATECHpresser_004_tt.jpg)