Recap and highlights: No. 2 Gonzaga rallies in second half to beat San Francisco

NEXT GAME: Saturday, Feb. 22: Gonzaga Bulldogs at BYU Cougars, 7 p.m. PST TV: ESPN2

Killian Tillie scored 22 points in his return to the lineup and the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs used a strong start to the second half to power past the San Francisco Dons 71-54 on Thursday night at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Tillie, who sat out Thursday’s win against Pepperdine, led the charge from the interior for Gonzaga. The senior forward was 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Frontcourt-mate Filip Petrusev started slow, but finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Charles Minlend scored 22 points to lead San Francisco. Khalil Shabazz added 13 points and six steals.

San Francisco led 31-22 at halftime behind Minlend’s 15 first-half points.

Gonzaga shot just 38.5% in the opening half and had just four players score. The Bulldogs came into the game with seven players averaging double-digit scoring per game. Petrusev, who entered the game averaging 17.6 points-per-game, had just five points at the break.

The second half had a different beat as the Zags came out roaring and scored 18 of the first 20 points to take a 40-33 lead.

Ryan Woolridge had 12 points, seven assists and five steals for Gonzaga. Corey Kispert didn’t score in the first half, but found his shooting stroke in the second as he finished with 11 points thanks to three made 3s.

Gonzaga has now won 40 straight regular-season, conference games, the longest streak of its kind in the nation. The Bulldogs have also won 31 straight games in Spokane over the Dons and are 16-0 vs. USF at McCarthey.

Gonzaga Bulldogs / YouTube

First half

15:00 – Gonzaga 8, San Francisco 8: Slow start in the Kennel as the first basket of the game isn’t scored until over two minutes in at the 17:54 mark.

Bulldogs forward Killian Tillie, returning to the lineup after sitting out Saturday’s game with an injured ankle, made a floater to break the opening deadlock. Tillie has four points on 2-of-2 shooting. Ryan Woolridge also has four points for Gonzaga.

Charles Minlend has a game-high six points for USF. Dons center Jimbo Lull picked up two fouls in the first five minutes.

11:56 – Gonzaga 14, San Francisco 13: Killian Tillie drills a 3-pointer from the top of the key giving the Bulldogs a 1-point edge at the under-12 timeout.

Tillie has seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. Frontcourt-mate Filip Petrusev has three points.

Charles Minlend has eight points for USF. The Dons lead the rebounding battle 12-7 and have already grabbed six offensive rebounds.

7:43 – San Francisco 23, Gonzaga 16: Solid play from the Dons coupled with a terrible stretch from the Bulldogs leads to a 10-0 USF run.

San Francisco has found its shooting touch from 3-point range, hitting at a 50% clip. Charles Minlend has a game-high 11 points on 3 of 3 from 3. Khalil Shabazz has hit two 3s and has eight points.

Gonzaga has gone the last 3:35 without scoring and are shooting just 36.8% from the field.

Filip Petrusev has struggled with just three points on 1-of-4 shooting. Killian Tillie has seven points to lead GU.

3:51 – San Francisco 25, Gonzaga 20: The Bulldogs get a bucket inside from Filip Petrusev to snap a 12-0 run by the Dons.

San Francisco is just 1 of it last 7 from the field and hasn’t scored in 3:37.

Only four Zags have scored. Killian Tillie has seven points, Ryan Woolridge has six, Petrusev has five and Drew Timme has two points. Gonzaga came into the game with seven players averaging double-digit scoring per game.

Halftime

San Francisco 31, Gonzaga 22: Charles Minlend has 15 points and the Dons lead the ice-cold Bulldogs by nine at the break.

Gonzaga is shooting 38.5% and has just two more made field goals (10) than turnovers (8). Killian Tillie leads GU with nine points.

USF is shooting 33.3%, but has made three more buckets than GU thanks to 13 more shot attempts.

Khalil Shabazz has added eight points for San Francisco. Shabbazz has two 3-pointers and the Dons are 5 of 12 from 3. Gonzaga is 1 of 3 from deep.

Only four Zags have scored. Ryan Woolridge has six points, Filip Petrusev has added five and Drew Timme has two points. Gonzaga came into the game with seven players averaging double-digit scoring per game.

Trailing 16-13 with 11 minutes left in the half, USF used a 12-0 run to seize the momentum.

Second half

15:17 – San Francisco 31, Gonzaga 30: An 8-0 run for the Bulldogs gets them right back in the game.

Gonzaga forward Filip Petrusev has made 4 of his last 5 shots and now has 11 points. Killian Tillie also has 11 points.

San Francisco opened the half with six turnovers in the first 4 minutes.

11:47 – Gonzaga 40, San Francisco 33: The Bulldogs have dominated the first 8 minutes of the second half, outscoring the Dons 18-2.

Killian Tillie, who gave GU a 32-31 lead with a layup, has a 15 points. Filip Petrusev has scored eight points in the half and has 13 points for Gonzaga. Corey Kispert dribbled into a 3 near the top of the key for his first points of the night.

Charles Minlend has 15 points to lead USF, which is just 1-of-10 shooting in the half.

6:57 – Gonzaga 53, San Francisco 44: Killian Tillie has 18 points, Filip Petrusev has 13 and the Bulldogs continue to torment the Dons in the second half.

Gonzaga has outscored USF 31-13 in the half. The Dons have made just six field goals and are 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

Charles Minlend leads San Francisco with 17 points. Standout guard Jamaree Bouyea has just two points on 1-of-9 shooting for USF.

Ryan Woolridge has 10 points for GU, which is shooting 54% in the half.

3:28 – Gonzaga 58, San Francisco 51: Killian Tillie is up to 20 points and the Bulldogs are four minutes away from a nice come-from-behind win.

After trailing by 9 at halftime, Gonzaga has controlled the second half behind forwards Tillie and Filip Petrusev. Tillie is 9-of-12 shooting and has nine rebounds. Petrusev has scored 11 points in the half and has 16 total.

Charles Minlend has a game-high 22 points for USF.

Starting 5

Pregame