Recap and highlights: No. 9 Gonzaga beats another conference foe in dramatic fashion, outlasts Santa Clara 81-76

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For the second time in as many games, Gonzaga played a dramatic conference road game to the wire.

Rasir Bolton played hero during Thursday’s win over San Francisco. Tonight it was Nolan Hickman’s turn.

Hickman scored a career-high 20 points and gave Gonzaga the lead for good with a step-back 3-pointer in the final minutes, beating Santa Clara 81-76 in the Leavey Center on Saturday.

Hickman’s effort wasn’t as dramatic as Bolton’s 11-point spurt and winning shot with 8 seconds remaining, but it proved as effective. He made three 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes, including the go-ahead with 1:13 remaining.

Anton Watson and Julian Strawther provided the icing with five free throws in the final minute.

Hickman, who went 8-for-9 from the field and made 4 of 5 3-point attempts, was matched for the team high with Drew Timme at 20 points.

The Broncos (14-5, 2-2 West Coast) got off to a hot start and led by as many as 14 points, before the Bulldogs (14-3, 3-0) answered with a 16-2 run late in the first half.

The two teams traded shots the rest of the way, changing leads 19 times and tying the score 11 times.

Keshawn Justice led Santa Clara with 22 points, while Brandin Podziemski added 17.

Strawther was just shy of Gonzaga’s team high with 18 points.

Gonzaga continues its stretch of road games next week at Brigham Young on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., before returning the Kennel to host Portland on Saturday at 7.

First half

18:41 – SCU 4, GU 0: Podziemski, the Broncos leading scorer is as advertised, opens the game with the first four points. Zags start 0 of 2 from the floor.

15:08 – SCU 12, GU 8: Santa Clara converting its shots early, 6 of 7 from the field in the early going to hold the lead, as Hickman is called for a foul at the U16 media timeout.

13:40 – SCU 20, GU 8: Gonzaga can’t do anything to stop the Broncos and Mark Few calls a timeout.

Santa Clara opens 10 of 11 from the field and are on a 14-0 run.

 

10:23 – SCU 23, GU 15: Zags make up some ground as a flurry of turnovers on each end of the court lead up to the U12 media timeout.

Broncos 11 of 16 from the field, now with five turnovers and a 13-5 rebound advantage. Zags are 7 of 19 shooting.

7:55 – SCU 25, GU 15: Gonzaga may want to try something different, as their last five shots are missed 3-pointers, leading to the U8 media timeout.

Zags are 1 of 8 on 3s and shooting 29% from the field.

5:46 – SCU 30, GU 23: Zags go on a 7-0 run and the Broncos call a timeout. Timme gets his first point making 1 of 2 free throws, but remains 0 of 4 from the field.

Hickman leads Gonzaga scorers with six points. Podziemski has a game-high nine.

3:10 – SCU 32, GU 32: Bulldogs on a 16-2 run to tie the score up at the U4 media timeout.

Broncos will shoot two free throws when play resumes, as Timme followed on a breakaway.

0:00 – SCU 37, GU 36: Podziemski’s jumper misses and the Broncos cling to a one-point lead into halftime.

Zags dominated the final minutes and upped their shooting percentage to 45.7%. Hickman leads the Zags with nine points, while Timme and Strawther add seven apiece.

Podziemski leads the Broncos with 13 points.

Second half

15:23 – SCU 46, GU 44: Gregg is fouled at the U16 media timeout, as the Broncos hold onto their lead.

Timme getting his scoring touch back with four points in the half, now up to a team-high 11. 

11:40 – SCU 53, GU 52: Justice makes a 3-pointer to give the Broncos the lead at the U12 media timeout.

Six lead changes in the second half so far.

6:55 – GU 66, SCU 62: Hickman makes his third 3-pointer of the game to give the Zags their largest lead.

Bulldogs on a 7-0 run at the U8 media timeout.

3:26 – GU 73, SCU 68: Zags not letting go of their lead down the stretch and have made 6 of their last 7 attempts from the field.

Hickman has a career-high 17 points, while Timme lead with 20 and Strawther adds 16.

2:17 – GU 73, SCU 72: Two quick baskets by the Broncos and Few calls for a timeout.

1:30 – SCU 74, GU 73: Timme’s shot is blocked and Stewart makes a jumper on the other end to put the Broncos in the lead. Gonzaga calls another timeout.

0:38 – GU 80, SCU 74: Strawther makes a pair of free throws to ice the game and the Zags should go on to win.

Hickman played hero tonight, making a 3-pointer down the stretch to bring his scoring total to 20.

Starting five

Pregame

Nothing is going to come easy for Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference this season.

After stealing a win in San Francisco on Thursday, where the Zags led for less than 2 minutes and took their first lead of the second half with 8 seconds left, the Bulldogs continue their road trip at Santa Clara Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on KHQ and Root Sports.

The Broncos (14-4, 2-1 WCC) are third in the WCC standings, beating San Francisco by 13 points, Pepperdine by 10 and losing to Saint Mary’s by three.

After losing guard Jaylen Williams to the NBA a season ago, sophomores Brandin Podziemski and Carlos Stewart have picked up a bulk of the scoring, averaging 18.8 and 14.8 points a game, respectively. 

The Bulldogs (13-3, 2-0) have won eight straight games. Rasir Bolton led the Zags with 21 points on Thursday, scoring 11 in the final 5 minutes, to pick up for Drew Timme’s 11 on 3 of 16 shooting.

Series history

Gonzaga holds a 68-30 all-time series lead over Santa Clara and have won 24 consecutive games since Jan. 20, 2011. The Zags won in Santa Clara by 32 points last season. 

Team stats

Individual leaders

Game preview

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