National Basketball Association
Gonzaga 91, Northern Arizona 52
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
Officials:
# Rick Batsell, # Verne Harris, # Marques Pettigrew
Attendance:
6000
By The Sports Xchange
Sophomore forward Domantas Sabonis scored a career-high 26 points and senior forward Kyle Wiltjer added 23 as 10th-ranked Gonzaga breezed to a 91-52 nonconference victory over Northern Arizona on Wednesday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
The game served as the official season opener for the Bulldogs, whose game with Pittsburgh last Friday was cancelled at halftime due to a slippery playing surface in Okinawa, Japan. Northern Arizona is 0-3.
Gonzaga overcame sporadic play to lead 42-27 at the half, then dominated the smaller and younger Lumberjacks at both ends of the court in the second half.
The Bulldogs outrebounded NAU 53-31, shot 52.9 percent from the field and held the Lumberjacks to 30.2 percent shooting.
Sabonis sank 12 of 13 shots from the floor and matched Wiltjer's seven rebounds. Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski produced nine points and nine rebounds.
Guard Kris Yanku led Northern Arizona with 18 points. Center-forward Ako Kaluna added 11 points and seven rebounds before a sellout crowd of 6,000.
The Bulldogs celebrated North American Heritage Month by replacing their usual red, white and blue uniforms with ones consisting largely of turquoise. The color is symbolic of friendship and harmony in Native American cultures.
Top Game Performances
Northern Arizona |
|
Gonzaga |
Kris Yanku 18 |
Scoring |
Domantas Sabonis 26 |
Kris Yanku 4 |
Assists |
Josh Perkins 6 |
Ako Kaluna 7 |
Rebounds |
Przemek Karnowski 9 |
Kris Yanku 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Kyle Wiltjer 6 |
Jaleni Neely 4 |
Steals |
Josh Perkins 4 |
N/A |
Blocks |
Kyle Dranginis 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Northern Arizona
|
52 |
30.2 |
3-17 |
11-17 |
9 |
28 |
0 |
8 |
15 |
Gonzaga
|
91 |
52.9 |
6-23 |
13-20 |
18 |
48 |
3 |
9 |
17 |