Gonzaga run as nation’s scoring leader is coming to end, but Zags still making their points

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Mar. 27—DETROIT — Gonzaga has led Division I in scoring offense each of the past five seasons, but that streak will soon come to an end.

Yup, the Zags have slumped all the way to seventh nationally at 85.0 points per game.

The eye test, however, shows little, if any slippage, particularly after putting up 86 points on McNeese State’s third-ranked defense and 89 on Kansas, which dropped to 30th in field-goal percentage after yielding 60.3% to the Zags last Saturday.

“There was absolutely no sign of being able to slow them down,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, shortly after mentioning his pride in the program’s rebounding and defense over the years. “Whenever we made mistakes, which we made many, they made us pay.

“And then when we didn’t make mistakes, they found a way to still grab an offensive rebound or whatever and score a putback. But Mark Few’s team is so good offensively.”

Both tournament games were lopsided in the second half and the Zags eased off the gas pedal in the closing minutes or they would have cruised past 90 points.

“Our offense was flowing,” fifth-year senior Anton Watson said. “I feel like we’re starting to read each other at a different level right now. We’re just getting used to playing with each other. It’s the perfect time to get that feeling.”

A closer look at the numbers shows Gonzaga is nearly on course with the program’s recent offensive juggernauts, especially over the past 18 games. Throw out three battles vs. slower-paced Saint Mary’s when the Zags scored 62, 70 and 60, and GU’s lowest output was 77 points against San Francisco. The next lowest was 82.

Gonzaga is fourth nationally in offensive efficiency, first in effective field-goal percentage (60.3), third in percentage inside the arc (60.0) and sixth in 3-point percentage (40.5) while going 16-2 in its past 18 games. The Zags are second nationally at 51.9% from the field, much in line with the past five seasons.

“It’s just clicking,” said point guard Ryan Nembhard, who is averaging 9.1 assists…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gonzaga-run-nations-scoring-leader-020200456.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-03-28 02:02:00

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