ZAGS 360: Week 16 – A win and a heartbreaking loss, the streak is broken…
One win against the San Francisco Dons and one loss to St. Mary’s Gaels breaks Gonzaga Bulldogs’ WCC streak.
I wished that the Gonzaga Bulldogs would get an opponent that was competitive, maybe Kentucky. It startled me at first during the St. Mary’s game, but when it was halftime and Gonzaga was down ten, I was afraid that this would be the end of the Zags West Coast win streak. But let’s talk first about the Bulldogs’ defeat of the San Francisco Dons.
Gonzaga Bulldogs 89 vs. San Francisco Dons 73
The Gonzaga Bulldogs started this game on a tear. At the 16:25 mark, they had not missed a shot! Three-pointers were raining down. The Bulldogs hit eight of their ten field goals for a nine-point lead. Zags were getting second and third opportunities with the offensive rebounds.
The Zags front men had this game on lock. Chet Holmgren led all scorers with 21 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, and six blocks. Chet went from end to end in one play, which resulted in a beautiful dunk! His three-pointers seem so natural. Drew Timme almost had a triple-double! He was next with 20 points, nine rebounds, of which three were offensive, adding in eight assists. The big guys were everything for this game.
The 🦄 coming through 😏 @ChetHolmgren pic.twitter.com/UEXumCjtRL
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) February 25, 2022
Andrew Nembhard led the three guards. Nembhard had 17 points, four rebounds, six assists, and two steals. In the second half, he committed a hard foul, which was deemed a flagrant to Julian Rishwains. Rasir Bolton was so speedy he caused an offensive foul to be called on him. That didn’t stop his three-pointers. He was three of five from beyond the arc, finishing with nine points and two rebounds.
Julian Strawther gave Zags fans a scare when he had a hard fall. It was reported that he fell on his back but in my opinion, he fell and hit his head. He took about five minutes on the bench and was right back in the game. He contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.
The bench had little to do today, probably because it was a tight game, but Hunter Sallis made a spin move to the basket, which was nice! He had seven points and gave Zags fans at home a great show!
The Dons made it very hard for the Bulldogs to win on their Senior Day. Their three-pointers kept them in the game. Jamaree Bouyea had 14 points. Yauhen Massalski, who was blocking shots, also had 14 points. Khalil Shabazz was excellent and led his team with 17 points, and Julian Rishwain brought up the rear with 13 points.
Gonzaga Bulldogs 57 vs. St. Mary’s Gaels 67
This was by far the lowest-scoring game the Gonzaga Bulldogs have seen in some time. However, the Gaels led this game from wire to wire. The missing pieces were the bigs – Holmgren and Timme. The big guys are the leaders to victory. St. Mary’s did their homework and knew just what to do to defeat the Zags.
That’s why this writer wanted them to have a competitive game that would push them and force them to see what they needed to look for in Tournament play. They saw it on Saturday night against the Gaels.
The Gaels’ defense was oppressive. They held the Gonzaga big men to six points each. So far from the 41 points, the two accrued in the San Francisco game. Timme was dogged in the paint, and he could do nothing. Along with the six points, he grabbed eight rebounds.
Holmgren had six points, six rebounds, and four blocks. The three guards managed to score in double figures. Strawther had 14 points and seven rebounds; Nembhard and Bolton each had 16 points.
Tommy Kuhse had 14 points. They held the Gonzaga Bulldogs to 57 points. The Gaels had lost seven straight to Gonzaga, including five games at home. What’s next?
The Bulldogs have a week or so before they travel to Las Vegas for the West Coast Tournament where the Zags have a bye and their first game is in the semifinals on March 7th.
ZAGS 360 will return at that time, but there are many things to talk about in Zags Nation! Don’t forget Zags Wednesday when the spotlight will be on Kaden Perry. Until then, stay safe and healthy out there.