Game Recap: Southern Utah

Final Score: Gonzaga 103 Southern Utah 65

We all knew coming into this game it was not going to be an especially challenging matchup. This was a tune up, a chance for the staff to keep working with the players to get a better feel for the team before mondays big time brawl with West Virginia. Southern Utah showed it has some bright spots with good shooting by its senior leader Jackson Stevenett and the nice play of junior center Jayson Cheesman. Stevenett went off for 29 points on 11-15 shooting and Cheesman had 6 points, 5 Boards, and 5 Blocks. But they were obviously overmatched and out of their league on almost every level. Our frontcourt manhandled the thunderbirds inside and the Zags managed a sizzling 74% from the field in the 2nd half.


Starters

Guy Landry Edi continued his inspired play with 16 points and 7 Boards, not to mention an amazing windmill sportscenter highlight Windmill dunk in the first half. Edi continues to look like the surprise of the season at what was once thought of as the weakest spot in the lineup prior to the beginning of the season. Sam Dower showed great footwork and a soft touch with 15 Points and 3 boards in 25 minutes. Elias Harris had a couple of really nice moves to the basket negated by poor timing and a lack of power but still ended up with 12 points and 7 boards in 21 minutes of work. We all know that Kevin Pangos is capable of amazing passes and sweet shooting, but he still managed to make a couple of NBA level passes to his teammates, at one point setting Dower up for a layup that required a picture perfect pass. Kevins teammates still look like they are a step behind his passing ability at times and that is reason for concern if they cannot convert on easy looks. Gary Bell had a great first half showing his excellent shooting stroke and also flashing some new moves to the basket with a picture perfect floater. If he can really come out and be assertive on the offensive end, i think it will allow Pangos to concentrate more on playmaking and less on having to find his shot, thus opening the floor up for the rest of the team. To me, Bell is the key to the final four dreams of this season.

Bench 

The bench looks deep with guys like David Stockton and Mike Hart able to come out and provide smart minutes and good defense in stretches. Many thought Kyle Dranginis would be able to come out and play at a high level this year, but im still not sold. I think he disappeared at times tonight even though he was able to get 4 boards and 3 assists, his first point did not come until late in the 2nd half. At times he looked lost running the floor and while he shows great ball handling and flashed some good passing skills, he will likely need to do more to continue to earn coach Mark Fews adoration. Obviously the freshman, Karnowski, is the prized member of the bench, with the ability to come out and dominate teams like Southern Utah. PK, or "King" Karnowski, came out strong with 22 points on 10-16 shooting in 20 minutes. Karnowski continues to flash an array of adept post moves such as a left handed hook that looks downright un-guardable at times. We will see if he can be as effective against the bruising play of the West Virginia Mountaineers on monday. Drew Barham broke his nose in practice and will probably not play much against WVU, although he did log some minutes tonight. The highlight of the second half was seeing Rem Bakamus step up and hit a three with a defender in his face to the love and adoration of the Kennel Club. Its always nice to see a walk on come out and contribute.


Game Leaders

Points: Przemek Karnowski 22 Points
Assists: Kevin Pangos 6 Assists
Rebounds: Elias Harris/Guy Landry Edi 7 Boards
Blocks: Elias Harris 1 Block

Its obvious there are still some things for the coaching staff to work on this weekend in preparation for the Mountaineers, but overall i feel good about what i saw tonight. Too many bright spots to nit pick about the little things. Remember, Kelly Olynyk will be back soon which will only further bolster what appears to be one of the deepest frontcourts in the country. Had a great time watching and live tweeting the game tonight, as always GO ZAGS!