Gonzaga dominant in USF 100-61 victory

Trips to the War Memorial Gym over the years have not always been kind to Gonzaga, but there was never any doubt about the outcome of this season’s visit in a 100-61 rout over the USF. Drew Timme was the dominant catalyst for the explosion, as the sophomore pivot looked like he could have overcome the Dons alone if Mark Few left him.

Timme scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half in an almost perfect kick performance, missing only once on the field and three on the free-throw line, in addition to completing a double double with 10 rebounds. We will excuse free throws if he continues to do so.

Jalen Suggs (11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) also made his presence felt at both ends of the court, while Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi and Aaron Cook scored 12 points each on a very balanced night up and down the list. Mark Few still had a chance to empty his seat when it was over six minutes before the end of the game, and 10 of the 12 Zags who entered the game managed to score.

While Timme was playing, Gonzaga’s defense completely stopped the Dons in such a way that Timme almost alone surpassed the hosts in the first half (26 to 21). The USF missed its first 10 pitches and appeared to be under pressure all the time in the half-court attack. The Dons only managed to score a few points in the first minutes of the game by courtesy of the free throw line, which became the only opportunity for them to make an undisputed shot.

The USF, a team highly dependent on the drive and the kick to generate many opportunities for a three-point kick, fought hard to break Gonzaga’s defense with penetration. This failure made the night a long one for the Gifts, as they still released their average number of attempts on the three-point line, but without much success, as they ended the night with an insignificant score of 7-33 (21.2%) in the arch. This will not happen against a team of the caliber of Gonzaga.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the track, Timme used a full range of spins, slides and even some splashes from the three-point line in one of the best offensive performances of the season. See what the first 14 minutes were like in Gonzaga’s statistics book:

Give the Dons credit for not completely doubling up and maintaining their effort despite the attack, but that won’t be very comforting on a day that was Gonzaga’s from start to finish.

After a rare stretch of five games on the road, the Zags will now return home to play Saint Mary on Thursday. We hope that they will be able to repeat the performance of this game in what was one of the most complete games the team has ever put together in the invincible campaign.