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Oct. 26—PALM DESERT, Calif. — As a general rule, exhibition games tend to be sloppy at times with teams seeing live action against a new opponent.
Throw in the fact that Gonzaga and USC substituted liberally Saturday to get a closer look at different lineup combinations, and the result was lots of whistles and lapses at both ends of the floor through roughly the first 28 minutes.
But then the sixth-ranked Zags and Trojans seriously dialed up the intensity and their offensive firepower, resulting in a highly competitive, entertaining shootout down the stretch.
Gonzaga made up an 11-point second-half deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback at the defensive end as USC claimed a 96-93 victory in front of a sparsely populated audience inside Acrisure Arena.
“They brought some athleticism, some physicality and they pressured us,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “It’s took us a while to adjust to that. Obviously, our defense was a real issue down the stretch. They were just iso-ing our guards.
“You know, toughen up and guard your yard. We tried a bunch of different bodies, so we have to keep experimenting with some stuff there.”
Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi hit a corner 3-pointer to tie the score at 89 with 1:40 left. USC’s Desmond Claude answered with two free throws and penetrated for a short bank shot to put the Trojans up 93-89.
Gonzaga senior point guard Ryan Nembhard made four free throws, but USC still led 96-93 lead after Claude’s free throw with 7 seconds remaining. Nembhard, who had a big second half, misfired on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
“We were just trying to find our continuity with lineups and trying to figure out what’s best for us offensively,” said Nembhard, who finished with 19 points and eight assists. “We played good offense in the second half, for sure.
“We just have to be a little better (defensively), myself included. I have to be able to level able to level guys off and guard my man. And we have to come up with those rebounds. They probably…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gonzaga-rallies-falls-usc-96-035900526.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-10-27 03:59:00
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