Final Score Gonzaga 84 West Virginia 50
What a game. The Zags went out with questions about toughness, questions about whether the athleticism or the defensive play of the Mountaineers would be too much. These questions were answered and answered well. The Zags played sweltering defense at times, creating turnover after turnover and frustrating West Virginia into playing outside their comfort zone. The refs called a tight game, routinely hitting both teams with ticky tacky fouls forcing the pace to crawl at times. However the calls were relatively balanced and there was no real advantage towards either side. This team feels as balanced and deep as any GU squad in my recent memory.
Starters
The Zags marched out what appears to be Coach Mark Few's preferred lineup of Sam Dower, Elias Harris, Guy Landry Edi, Gary Bell Jr., and Kevin Pangos. Harris came out relatively cold and got into some foul trouble early forcing him to only get 8 minutes in the first half. As a result he would not score until the beginning of the 2nd half. And did he ever score with authority, converting on a rebound off the rim for a thunderous dunk. Harris would go on to finish with 13 Points, 7 Boards, 1 Assist and 1 Steal. Dower spent most of the game looking overmatched athletically and tentative. He appeared to be pressing at times attempting spin moves and making errant passes. There were some bright spots including a nice drive to the basket for a dunk and a couple of nice mid range jumpers. He would go on to finish with 8 Points, 6 Boards, 2 Assists, and a Steal for the night. Edi continued to shine playing excellent perimeter defense and taking the ball into the heart of the defense forcing contact and getting to the line. He continues to work hard to find good looks and impress with his athleticism around the basket. He went on to finish 7-10 from the line with 14 Points and 7 Boards. Pangos came out looking for his shot and seemed to find his groove early in the 1st half. He was able to hit a couple of big threes that helped stretch the defense and create defensive issues for WVU. It didnt seem he really got into a groove creating for this teammates, but then again he really didnt need to with how well the ball was moving around. He went on to finish with 13 Points, 3 Assists and a Steal.
Player of the Game
Gary Bell Jr. was fantastic. He played excellent defense all night, helping to create several turnovers and frustrate his defensive assignment. He was all over the court offensively, constantly moving without the ball finding his spots and getting open. When he had the ball in his hands he appeared confident and adept at creating for his teammates of finding a way to get to the hole. His outside shooting continues to be terrific, he finished 3-5 from behind the arc helping to build energy within the Kennel and keep the momentum on his teams side. He finished with 15 Points, 4 Assists, 1 Board and a Steal.
Bench
The bench continues to look deep, although the starters definitely solidified themselves as the best unit. David Stockton played the most minutes off the bench, and looked like he was much more comfortable creating against a team like WVU. Michael Hart provided an unusual offensive spark off the bench to the tune of 10 points. Przemek Karnowski looked flustered at times, but still managed to make some tremendous plays that helped the team. King Karnowski finished with 6 Points and 4 Boards off the bench, perhaps even more impressive were the 2 assists. He seems to be one of the better passers out of the post we have had at GU. There were flashes of brilliance from Kyle Dranginis as he was able to move well with the ball and drive to the hole.
Game Leaders
Points: Gary Bell Jr. 15 Points
Assists: David Stockton 5 Assists
Boards: Guy Landry Edi/ Elias Harris 7 Boards
Blocks: Michael Hart 1 Block
Steals: David Stockton 2 Steals
Conclusion
This was a hard fought win, despite the score. WVU was scrappy and much better on defense than previous opponents. They frustrated our bigs at times, and that is a cause for concern going forward. There were some bad turnovers and frustrating mistakes made, but this was a stepping stone game, one that helped the staff see the issues that might arise going forward. I expect to see this team continue to grow by leaps and bounds over the course of the year. I'm starting to believe the hype, this just might be our first Final Four year. Go Zags!
11 comments:
A most impressive defensive effort by the Zags.
Impressed with Stockton -- has made some significant strides since last year. He really looked good.
Edi is the man this year! What ever you need, Edi provides.
With such a deep team, its hard for individual players to stand out but you know that's a good thing. I can see the team's highest scoring player to average under 12 ppg -- on a team that averages 85 a game!
The game was a foul fest. Out of 40 minutes of play, the refs called 52 fouls. How can any team get into a rhythm when the refs control the tempo? I was so frustrated with how the game was called.
Great read Josh!
I am of the opinion, we have yet to realize just how good this GU team is/ can be. Even with 13+ missed FT and 52 whistles, they still managed to score 84 points and hold WV to under 50. All with their starting PG only playing 18 minutes.
This team is not just deep but is already showing that they can bring in peeps off the bench and show no sign of drop off or let down on either end of the floor.
Def heading in a great direction!
Guy was my player of the game... aggressive on offense, showing a better shooting touch than last year (clearly, he's been working on it), somehow MORE strength and athleticism, coupled with more control over his bursts of energy.
Zag fans, I think we found our wing.
Been watching our future opponents on TV. I'm going to go out on a limb at this time and predict that we just might get to selection Sunday with an undefeated record! We are that good and the opposition just isn't at a point where GU cannot beat them.
Of course you still have to play the games. That said, I like our chances.
Quid, I've been thinking that for a while but I've been afraid to say it :)
Well a couple major hurdles there, the biggest being Baylor, and a few more with game @BYU, Possible run in with Davidson in the old spice classic,and @Butler.....
Did you see Baylor play today? They got stuffed by Colorado. They have a lot of team speed and a dearth of team play. Very beatable.
Butler got dismantled by Xaiver. They do not look good at all. Outside shooting is now anywhere near what it was (and this team is supposed to be better than last year's team!!!)
BYU got manhandled by Florida State today. BYU can fill it up from outside and Davies is still a great talent but after that, there is no depth. BYU did manage to close the gap to about 14 or so about half way through the second half but FSU had taken the foot off the pedal at that point in time. Not the same effort as they displayed in the first half.
JFWIW. FSU is going to be a dangerous team this year. I was impressed.
Post a Comment