In season-opening rout over Baylor, Gonzaga’s defense showed big strides

Nov. 6—Gonzaga showed off its depth and multifaceted offense in Monday’s 101-63 blowout over No. 8 Baylor.

The sixth-ranked Zags piled up 42 bench points — 34 from Braden Huff, Dusty Stromer and Michael Ajayi — and had 13 3-pointers, 25 assists and decided advantages with points in the paint, in transition and off turnovers.

All eye-catching numbers, but perhaps the most important stats in the season opener were at the defensive end. Baylor’s 63 points came just 10 days after the Zags gave up 96 to USC in a three-point exhibition loss in Palm Desert, California.

Snap judgments from exhibition games is not recommended, but there were some raised eyebrows after USC’s 59-point second half.

“Super long way,” senior forward Ben Gregg said of Gonzaga’s defensive improvement against Baylor. “(USC) was our first time playing someone else altogether, so my expectations weren’t too high for that. That’s what we needed to change and we knew that and this whole week of practice we’ve been going super hard, kind of emphasizing the defensive side of the ball.”

The stats weren’t pretty in the desert. In the second half, the Trojans shot 65.5%, including 50% on 3-pointers, and made 16 of 19 free throws (84.2%). USC made 55.4% of its shots, 47.1% from distance.

Of more concern were the final 9 minutes when USC scored points on nine straight possessions, followed by two empty possessions and six consecutive possessions with points to close out a close win. USC repeatedly beat defenders off the dribble. A lot of the Trojans’ scoring came at the free-throw line. One GU turnover led to a USC layup and a Trojans offensive rebound generated two free throws.

The Zags controlled dribble penetration from Baylor’s talented guard line and limited talented 6-foot-7 forward Norchad Omier to 15 hard-earned points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. The Bears, with 39 missed shots on 37% shooting, collected 14 offensive rebounds but only cashed in with eight points.

“They’re a tough matchup with (Omier)…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/season-opening-rout-over-baylor-030300916.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-11-07 03:03:00

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