Recap: No. 1 Gonzaga fends off Saint Mary’s

Corey Kispert scored 17 points to lead four Bulldogs in double digits as No. 1 Gonzaga overcame a slow start to beat Saint Mary’s 73-59 Saturday night at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, California.

Joel Ayayi had 16 points and Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme had 14 points each for Gonzaga (14-0, 5-0 West Coast Conference).

Dan Fotu scored 15 points to lead Saint Mary’s, which jumped out to a 22-12 lead 11 minutes into the game.

Gonzaga closed the first half with a 20-3 run to take a 32-25 halftime lead.

Suggs scored 10 points in the first four minutes of the second half to get the Zags’ lead over 10 and they didn’t look back.

Logan Johnson added 12 points for Saint Mary’s (9-5, 0-3). Tommy Kushe had 10 points and a game-high seven assists.

Aaron Cook came off the bench to score eight points in 15 minutes for Gonzaga. Andrew Nembhard chipped in four points.

Gonzaga committed 11 turnovers and had just six assists.

The Bulldogs next play on Saturday, when Pacific visits the McCarthey Athletic Center. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

First half

13:32 – Saint Mary’s 12, Gonzaga 7: A 7-0 run by the Gaels gives them a 5-point lead at the first media timeout.

Tommy Kushe leads SMC with five points. The Gaels have made 2 of 3 3-pointers and are shooting 55.6% from the field.

Gonzaga has made just two field goals and is shooting 28.6%. The Bulldogs haven’t scored in 2:07. Drew Timme leads the Zags with four points, with two coming form the free-throw line.

10:31 – Saint Mary’s 20, Gonzaga 11: The Gaels are 4 of 6 from 3-point range and lead the Zags by nine.

Dan Fotu and Matthias Tass each have six points to lead SMC.

Zags still not shooting well at 4 of 11 from the field.

7:27 – Saint Mary’s 22, Gonzaga 17: Gonzaga uses a quick 5-0 run to cut the Gaels’ lead in half.

Saint Mary’s hasn’t scored in the 1:34 and has made just 1 of its last 7 field goals as the Zags have amped up the defense.

Drew Timme leads GU with six points. Aaron Cook has four.

Dan Fotu leads Saint Mary’s with eight points.

1:49 – Gonzaga 26, Saint Mary’s 24: The Bulldogs use a 14-2 run to take the lead.

The Zags have held Saint Mary’s scoreless over the last 2:11 and the Gaels have made just 1 of their last 13 shots.

Drew Timme has nine points to lead the Zags.

Halftime

Gonzaga 32, Saint Mary’s 25: The Bulldogs outscored the Gaels 20-3 over the last 11 minutes of the half to turn a slow start into a 7-point halftime lead.

Saint Mary’s opened up an early 20-11 lead by slowing the tempo and knocking down open shots. The Gaels made 4 of their first 5 3-point attempts, but have missed their last eight.

Drew Timme leads Gonzaga with nine points. Joel Ayayi and Aaron Cook have each added eight points. The Zags are shooting 48.1% from the field, but have made just two 3-pointers.

Dan Fotu leads Saint Mary’s with eight points. The Gaels are shooting 30.3%, making just one of their last 16 shots.

Saint Mary’s leads the rebounding battle 21-12 and has grabbed six offensive rebounds. Gonzaga has zero offensive boards.

The Zags do hold an 8-0 lead in fast-break points as the Gaels have shown no desire to push the tempo up to GU’s liking.

Gonzaga guard Corey Kispert has just three points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Saint Mary’s guard Tommy Kushe has five points, all in the first 5:30, and a game-high six assists.

Second half

15:31 – Gonzaga 46, Saint Mary’s 35: Jalen Suggs came out of halftime intent on getting to the rim and the Zags point guard has found success doing just that.

Suggs has 10 points in the half all coming on shots in the paint. He has drawn three fouls and made four free throws. He has 12 points overall to lead GU.

Dan Fotu has 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting to lead SMC.

12:05 – Gonzaga 54, Saint Mary’s 42: Joel Ayayi has 16 points to lead Gonzaga as it opens up a 12-point lead on the Gaels.

Ayayi is 8 of 12 from the floor and has scored the Zags last eight points.

The Zags are 9-of-13 shooting in the second half, but haven’t made a 3-pointer.

Saint Mary’s has three 3s in the half to keep GU from breaking the game open. 

7:16 – Gonzaga 63, Saint Mary’s 48: Zags have four players with double-digit points as they lead by 15.

Joel Ayayi has 16 points, Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert have 12 points each and Drew Timme has 11.

Dan Fotu lead Saint Mary’s with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. The forward has made three 3-pointers.

Gonzaga is shooting 66.7% in the half.

3:49 – Gonzaga 69, Saint Mary’s 51: Corey Kispert has 17 points and the Zags continue to build their lead.

Kispert is 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

Gonzaga is on a 13-3 run as Saint Mary’s had missed seven of its last eight shots.

Starting 5

Pregame

Individual leaders

Team stats

Game preview