Zags 360: Week 9 – Gonzaga basketball remains undefeated, LMU up next

Gonzaga Basketball
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Basketball.

The Zags are rolling on, still undefeated. Gonzaga basketball has won 21 straight games and own an 8-0 conference record. But why are they so lackadaisical in the first half all of a sudden?

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are still number one and undefeated. With a 17-0 record, the only thing the Zags should be concerned with is tightening up their sluggish starts, turnovers, and personal fouls. Game deficits won’t be so easy to overcome when playing in the NCAA Tournament. Drew Timme agrees. After the San Diego game, he told the media:

“We’ve just got to do a better job internally. There’s nothing that any team does to us that we can’t handle. Coming into the environment, especially like this, like every environment, there’s no energy, no fans, you’ve got to create it on your own. We’ve got to do a better job of coming out ready from the jump,” he said. “I felt like. Missed our assignments and coverages. But the second half, coach lit into us like we needed to get lit into because we did not play good and we responded. We showed what we’re capable of but it’s a recurring thing and we need to get it in check.”

 Gonzaga at San Diego

Yet again, the Bulldogs come out of the gate like they weren’t ranked, let alone ranked number one. At the 13:01 point in the first half, the Zags finally tied the game at 11. Three minutes later, Jalen Suggs’ three-pointer finally gave GU the lead 20-19. When the first half was over, the Bulldogs were up 40-29. It was downhill from there as Gonzaga dominated the second half on the way to a 90-62 win.

Drew Timme led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds; Corey Kispert was next with 19 points and eight rebounds. He was three of five from three. Rounding out the Terrifying Trio, Jalen Suggs had 17 points, three steals and was three of four from outside. Anton Watson had ten points and five rebounds, and the freshman Julian Strawther kicked in 11 points.

Gonzaga at Pepperdine

The Bulldogs faced the Pepperdine Waves for the second time this year and started slow again. Fortunately for them, their winning streak continued with a win over the Waves 97-75. Gonzaga hasn’t lost to Pepperdine in 18 years. They call this a rivalry but wouldn’t both teams have to win to be a rivalry? Just kidding.

After taking a 17-16 lead, at the 11:03 mark of the first half, The Bulldogs grabbed the lead at 17-16 and took off from there. Pepperdine managed to score only 18 points after losing the lead, while the Zags scored 32 to end the first half, 49-34.

Corey Kispert was the top performer with 23 points, eight rebounds, 6-of 11-from three. Drew Timme followed up with 20 points and seven rebounds, Joel Ayayi had 19 points, four steals, and two of three from outside. Jalen Suggs, though once again in foul trouble, scored 18 points and added four assists.

The Week Ahead

The Bulldogs have only one game this week, Loyola Marymount, on Thursday, February 4.

The Lions are 8-6 this year and 3-3 in the West Coast Conference. Last time out, they defeated Portland 75-50. A nice rebound after a tough 69-72 loss to Santa Clara the game prior. Gonzaga’s game against Santa Clara on February 6 is postponed due to COVID-19 protocol and contact tracing at UCSC.

What to look for

  • Corey Kispert is lighting it up from outside. He’s shooting 48.6 percent from behind the arc this year. Kispert has also nailed at least three treys in each of his last five games.
  • With backup center Oumar Ballo out three to four weeks, Anton Watson should see more playing time.
  • Teams that cancel games due to COVID.
  • Mattias Markusson, center for the LMU, had 25 points in the Loyola game against Portland, but unfortunately for the Lions, he didn’t play in the Santa Clara loss.
  • The Zags should also look out for Ivan Alipiev, who is the team’s second-highest scorer.

 

Good luck this week, Bulldogs! Let’s all stay safe and have a great week!

 

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