Nervous excitement was running through the veins of every
Gonzaga fan. Thoughts of Dellavedova and
his mouth guard, of Where’s Waldow, and the beat of the “Gaels Gone Wild” music
video were hauntingly present throughout the day as we anxiously awaited the
start of the game.
And then the game began, and the first half was the battle
everyone had been expecting. Gonzaga
built a 9 point lead throughout the half, but Mathew Dellavadova had other
plans as he quickly got his team back into the game and took the 3 point lead
with just seconds left on the clock. The
Zags caught a break as Mitchell Young fouled Kevin Pangos with under 2 seconds
left. Pangos sunk both free throws, and
the Zags ended the half down by 1. What
would happen in the second half? If the
Zags followed the pattern established the last few games…they would be in
trouble, as the Zags have been outscored in the second half often in league
play.
The first half wasn’t played poorly by any means, but it was
different. Olynyk hadn’t really gotten
into a rhythm and the game was just too close for comfort. The defense on Delly wasn’t going to get the
job done, as he was allowed to score 19 points.
But the second half really established Gonzaga as the dominant
team. We came out of the locker rooms
with a renewed energy, with our minds on defense and we executed the game plan,
holding Delly to just an additional 3 points on 1-6 shooting.
The game ended up being a blowout by most standards as the
Zags pulled out a 17 point lead, yet it was never comfortable for Gonzaga fans
as St. Mary’s is always an offensive threat.
Kelly Olynyk had his standard stat line of 17 points, and 7
rebounds. Kevin Pangos had a stellar
game with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Harris, who had a quieter offensive night with 7 points, chipped in 9
rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
But the real difference makers of the game were Mike Hart and Gary Bell
Jr. Bell had the game that everyone was
waiting for. He locked down on defense
in the second half, but still managed to put up 20 points, including 4 of 5
made baskets from the arc. Mike Hart was
the hustle player he always is, but this was probably one of his best games in
a Zags uniform. He was all over the
court causing turnovers, saving plays, and chipping in 5 points.
Overall, Gonzaga outscored the Gaels 45 – 27 in the second
half. In the first meeting against the
Gaels, the Zags shot 58.3% in the first half. In this meeting Gonzaga shot
58.3% in the second half. It was again a
tale of two halves. Gonzaga ended the
game with 50% fg shooting, 52.9% 3pt shooting, and 83.3% ft shooting. 10 zags saw time in this game, and 9
different Zags scored.
This game established Gonzaga as the best in the West. This game showed that the Zags truly are
worthy of a top 5 ranking. But league
play continues, and the quest to regain the WCC regular season crown and the
WCC Tournament Championship looms large. Next
up is a quick turnaround, a 1:30pm game at War Memorial Gym in San
Francisco. The current Zags squad has
never won there, with the last win coming in 2009. The pesky Dons always play Gonzaga close, and
winning in San Fran is a tough task. The
Zags should be hungry to continue their dominance, only a few more hours to
wait!
8 comments:
I predicted all the pressure was on St. Marys and the Zags could play loose and enjoy the game.
Well St. Marys rode Delli as far as it could but without his scoring the Gaels fell flat.
On the other hand, I thought the Zags were on the attack for much of the game. They played pretty loose -- too loose at times. The confidence just grew and grew as every minute passed. It was like they knew they had this game from start to finish and not even Delli's heroics at the end of the first half changed that.
How did you like that attempted ESPN highlight at the end of the game?
Maybe at SF!
Haha, that would have been awesome, had it gone down...but since it didn't, it was kinda embarrassing!!!
That play was reminiscent of the Edi/Bell off the backboard play last year that was badly muffed. Both players said they heard about it from Coach Few and wouldn't be trying it again.
I'm sure Harris and (was it Bell feeding him?) heard about that again from Coach Few. He definitely did not look happy after that.
I never was comfortable that entire game knowing how St. Mary's can score bunches in a small amount of time. However, I did think from the start we were by far the better team. It is always tough getting wins on the road against good teams but we did it and rather decisively. It was a great balanced effort offensively and defensively overall.
Now, let's cap it with a big win today! Go Zags!
Great write-up.
I was concerned about this game.
With how well SMC was playing and everything this game meant to them. Winning 9 in a row, unbeaten at home, and walloping the same WCC teams we have been playing by a far more substantial number.
We had not been looking very impressive of late and all I could think about was our lack of rebounding, slow rotations, and porous defense. And then there was our three point D. Was it really improved? Or, were opponents just missing shots?
All my worries were for nothing as this team showed some grit, being able to win in what must have been a MAdHoUsE of an environment, pounding a very hot, and desperate, SMC team.
I feel much more at ease with tonight's game vs. USF, even though they seem to have our number on the road. They did play us close in the Kennel, but they are simply not as capable this year of the upset.
*Guy Landry told me the play would have worked if that player hadn't pushed Bell, lol.
Nice recap Brianna!
They just showed on espn that lunardi had us as a #1 seed with Duke's loss! Hasn't he been saying for the last month it would be highly unlikely we would ever be a 1 seed?
I've been harping...if Gonzaga wins out (including the WCC tourney) AND the big teams on top falter, we could get a number one seed. Still a long ways to go. But after this weekend, it's looking doable. Go Zaggernauts!
according to lunardis twitter account, that was erroneous, it should be Duke as the fourth #1 seed and Gonzaga as the first #2 seed (5th overall)
I think I would rather be a 2 seed in Salt Lake City rather than a 1 seed in Lexington anyway. There have been a few erroneous statements he has commented on today. Second guessing himself or still doesn't want to give the Zags credit?
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