No. 1 Gonzaga had little trouble dropping BYU on Thursday at the Kennel, beating Cougars 86-69 in Spokane, Wash.
Here are three lessons from the game at the opening of the BYU conference, made possible by a schedule change this week:
- The Zags (11-0, 2-0) West Coast Conference) cleared the Cougars earlier, building a 30-7 lead with Gonzaga hitting more than 60% in the first 10 minutes of the game. BYU (9-3, 0-1 WCC) eventually reduced the lead to 39-26 in a 10-2 Cougars race, but the Zags responded 13-0 in their own lead, taking 52-29 for the half hour .
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Gonzaga striker Drew Timme shoots near BYU guard Brandon Averette on the left and striker Caleb Lohner during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga’s guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots in front of the BYU center Richard Harward (42) and guard Spencer Johnson (20) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday , January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Gideon George kicks during the second half of the NCAA team’s college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga’s guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots alongside BYU guard Brandon Averette (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Gideon George, left, shoots in front of guard Gonzaga Joel Ayayi, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, left, catches a rebound near the center of BYU, Richard Harward, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga striker Corey Kispert sinks during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Caleb Lohner (33) kicks over Gonzaga striker Drew Timme (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU guard Alex Barcello, on the right, passes the ball through the pivot Oumar Ballo do Gonzaga, on the left, and striker Anton Watson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Matt Haarms (3) kicks over Gonzaga striker Drew Timme (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU center Richard Harward (42) kicks in front of Gonzaga striker Pavel Zakharov (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga striker Drew Timme (2) catches a rebound between BYU guard Connor Harding (44) and pivot Richard Harward (42) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday Monday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard (3) shoots BYU guard Brandon Averette (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga striker Corey Kispert gestures after scoring a basket during the second half of the NCAA team’s college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU coach Mark Pope speaks to an official during the second half of the NCAA team’s college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga coach Mark Few yells at his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Gideon George, left, and Gonzaga goalkeeper Jalen Suggs, and striker Drew Timme, go after a rebound during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga striker Corey Kispert, right, kicks over BYU striker Kolby Lee during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU striker Matt Haarms kicks during the first half of the NCAA team’s college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Young Kwak, Associated Press
- Gonzaga forced BYU to 16 turnovers and turned that into 25 points outside the draws. The Cougars forced eight turns and had seven points less. The Zags also had a 16-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
- Corey Kispert surpassed all scorers with 23 points, as the Bulldogs hit 49.2% of the field and scored 7 out of 20 out of 3 points, better than BYU’s 4 out of 16 effort beyond the arc. The Zags also had 19 assists against 10 for Cougars – Joel Ayayi had six of those assists and three Gonzaga players had four or more. Gideon George scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in a loss to BYU.