Gonzaga-San Francisco key matchup: Charles Minlend leads Dons’ talented backcourt

LAS VEGAS – Junior Charles Minlend is the steadiest of San Francisco’s four playmaking guards/wings.

Minlend is the Dons’ top scorer at 14.3 points. He’s coming off a 21-point effort in Saturday’s victory over Pacific. He had 16 points in a rout of Loyola Marymount on Friday. He’s a creative scorer with the ability to shoot 3-pointers, penetrate and draw fouls.

Minlend has had mixed success against Gonzaga. He scored 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the Zags’ 83-79 win at War Memorial Gym. He had 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 3 of 5 3-pointers, in the second meeting at the Kennel.

Corey Kispert is expected to be the initial option defensively on Minlend, who was named second-team All-WCC. The Zags also could use Joel Ayayi or Admon Gilder, both of whom have the size to match up against the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Minlend.