Josh Perkins and Brandon Clarke each scored 19 points Saturday night as No. 3 Gonzaga ran off and hid in the last 10 minutes of the first half to rout visiting Texas Southern 104-67 in Spokane, Wash.
Rui Hachimura added 17 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (2-0), which also got 13 rebounds and six blocks from Clarke, plus 11 assists from Perkins in overwhelming the Tigers (1-1). Coming off a season-opening upset at Baylor on Tuesday night, Texas Southern was looking for another big paycheck and a win.
Instead, the Tigers absorbed a beating after keeping it competitive for the first 10:19. After falling behind Gonzaga 11-3, Texas Southern gained traction and pulled within 16-14 when Justin Hopkins converted a pair of free throws.
At that point, the Bulldogs hit the figurative X button. Zach Norvell's layup and 3-pointer kicked off a 16-3 run that Corey Kispert finished off with a 3-pointer at the 6:18 mark, giving Gonzaga a 32-17 advantage.
The margin grew from there, reaching 46-24 at the half when Jeremy Jones canned two free throws with four seconds left. It got no better in the second half for the Tigers, one of the favorites to win the SWAC title.
Clarke's layup at the 13:08 mark presented the Bulldogs with their first 30-point lead at 63-33. From there, the only suspense was whether they would reach the 100-point mark for the second straight game. Jones' foul shots with 1:12 remaining did the trick.
Gonzaga scored efficiently, sinking 52.1 percent of its field-goal attempts and drilling 22 of 25 at the foul line. It converted 15 Texas Southern turnovers into 20 points and drew assists on 18 of its 37 field goals.
Four players reached double figures for the Tigers, led by 14 points and 16 rebounds from 7-foot-2 center Trayvon Reed. Jalyn Patterson added 13 points but made only 4 of 19 field goals, while Devocio Butler scored 12, and Hopkins came off the bench to tally 10 points.
--Field Level Media
Texas Southern | Gonzaga | |
Trayvon Reed 14 | Scoring | Brandon Clarke 19 |
Derrick Bruce 6 | Assists | Josh Perkins 11 |
Trayvon Reed 16 | Rebounds | Brandon Clarke 13 |
Justin Hopkins 4 | Free Throws Made | Josh Perkins 6 |
Jeremy Combs 2 | Steals | Brandon Clarke 2 |
Trayvon Reed 3 | Blocks | Brandon Clarke 6 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Texas Southern | 67 | 34.3 | 7-26 | 12-18 | 12 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
Gonzaga | 104 | 52.1 | 8-25 | 22-25 | 18 | 50 | 7 | 7 | 12 |