Gonzaga puts experience, depth on display in 113-54 win over UMass Lowell

Nov. 15—Gonzaga’s game between its 40-minute battle against Arizona State and Monday’s road test against San Diego State in one of the toughest venues in the West could have fallen into the ‘trap game’ category.

Instead, the fourth-ranked Zags, favored by as many as 27.5 points, had no problem staying on task and crushed the River Hawks 113-54 Friday in front of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“We’ve got a good, mature group here and we all know what needs to be done before a big game,” said senior guard Nolan Hickman, referring to Gonzaga’s six seniors/grad students. “This is just the showing of it.”

Gonzaga (3-0) wasn’t razor sharp from the field in the opening half, but the Zags didn’t need to be.

They had loads of extra chances — via offensive rebounds and UMass Lowell’s 14 turnovers — and cruised to a 49-27 halftime lead despite shooting 43.6%.

The River Hawks, winners of 48 games the past two seasons and picked second in the America East Conference preseason poll, fell behind by double digits in the first 7 1/2 minutes and the deficit kept growing.

“These guys had our full attention,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “They’re going to have a good season. They’re primed to challenge Vermont (in the America East). As I told the players, this is like a team we’d see in the first round of the NCAA (Tournament) if we get seeded where we want to be seeded, so you have to respect that.

“They have a bunch of guys back, 22 wins last year and added a couple of nice transfers. We were able get out and make shots, and I thought we were way more energized, active and assertive on the defensive end. Making plays instead of sitting back, much more so than we did against Arizona State.”

As expected, the Zags exploited their size advantage inside with a 60-20 edge in paint points. It could have been more lopsided, but GU missed several shots from close range in the opening half.

The Zags dialed in their shooting in the second half, hitting 10 of their first 11 attempts, to move in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gonzaga-puts-experience-depth-display-045900297.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-11-16 04:59:00

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