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Nov. 10—Sixth-ranked Gonzaga expected a big-time scare from the Big 12 Conference during the opening week of the college basketball season.
The Zags probably figured it would probably come from the first team on their nonconference calendar, with significantly lower odds it would come from the second.
After a 38-point blowout of eighth-ranked Baylor in Monday’s season opener, the real challenge came on Saturday from Arizona State — a team picked to finish eight spots lower than the Bears in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll, but one that still posed a handful of problems with a group of experienced transfers, three talented freshmen and top-end athleticism across the board.
Gonzaga withstood flurry after flurry from the Sun Devils, made a handful of timely defensive plays down the stretch — as well as a few eye-catching offensive ones — and emerged with an 88-80 victory in the home opener at McCarthey Athletic Center.
There were 15 total lead changes, eight ties and 6,000 uneasy Gonzaga fans at different points of Sunday’s matinee contest, featuring a top-10 Bulldogs team that pocketed the most impressive victory of any college basketball team this week six days earlier and a weary Sun Devils team playing its third game in six days after picking up narrow wins over Idaho State and Santa Clara in Tempe and Las Vegas.
“I think we did a good job of closing the game,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “After watching their Santa Clara game — I think Santa Clara’s going to be really good this year — we knew they were starting to figure it out. They looked tough and they looked versatile and they’ve just got a lot of guys and they all bring something different.
“Bobby (Hurley) has done a really, really nice job creating isos and we had troubles with those isos against USC and had trouble tonight. Through it all we kept playing good offense and closed really, really well.”
Arizona State set a tone early, leading 7-1 after four minutes in the first half, and the Sun Devils kept…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/analysis-gonzaga-survives-arizona-state-045900214.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-11-11 04:59:00
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