Drew Timme scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and top-ranked Gonzaga staved off an upset attempt by producing a 76-58 victory over Pacific in West Coast Conference play on Thursday night at Stockton, Calif.
The Bulldogs (18-0, 9-0 WCC) didn't move ahead for good until 11:48 remained while dispatching the Tigers for the 17th straight time. Gonzaga walloped Pacific 95-49 on Jan. 23 in Spokane, Wash.
Jalen Suggs recorded 19 points and nine rebounds as Gonzaga stretched the nation's longest active winning streak to 22 games. Corey Kispert scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half of a contest that was hastily scheduled on Wednesday afternoon after both teams lost Thursday opponents due to COVID-19 protocols.
Daniss Jenkins scored 13 points and Pierre Crockrell II had 12 points and six assists for the Tigers (5-5, 2-4), who lost their fourth straight game. Jordan Bell had 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out for Pacific, which shot 39.3 percent from the field and was 3 of 13 from behind the arc.
The Bulldogs shot 57.7 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 50 percent. But they were only 4 of 17 from 3-point range for the game.
Joel Ayayi scored the first basket of the second half to put Gonzaga ahead before the Tigers responded with a 10-2 surge. Crockrell, Broc Finstuen and Jeremiah Bailey concluded the run with baskets to give Pacific a 42-35 lead with 15:15 remaining.
The Bulldogs got moving with a 16-5 spurt. Kispert scored 11 straight Gonzaga points -- including a four-point play to put his team ahead 46-45 with 12:38 left -- before picking up his fourth foul with the Bulldogs leading 51-47 with 9:57 left.
Aaron Cook drove for a hoop a short time later to start a 11-0 run and he finished it with two free throws as Gonzaga's lead reached 66-52 with 5:08 to play. The Bulldogs then closed it out for their 15th consecutive double-digit victory.
There was no visible evidence in the first half that Pacific lost by 46 points to the Bulldogs just 12 days earlier.
The Tigers opened a six-point lead early in the game and led for 8:50 of the half compared to Gonzaga's 6:29 en route to a 32-31 edge at the break.
When Gonzaga took a 23-19 lead on a 3-pointer by Suggs with 4:51 left and looked primed to finish the half strong, the Tigers answered with a 9-2 spurt and regained the lead on Bailey's 3-pointer with 1:31 remaining.
--Field Level Media
Gonzaga | Pacific | |
Drew Timme 21 | Scoring | Daniss Jenkins 13 |
Andrew Nembhard 3 | Assists | Pierre Crockrell II 6 |
Jalen Suggs 9 | Rebounds | Jordan Bell 10 |
Corey Kispert 6 | Free Throws Made | Pierre Crockrell II 2 |
Corey Kispert 2 | Steals | Jeremiah Bailey 3 |
Corey Kispert 1 | Blocks | Jordan Bell 1 |