The Sports Xchange
Dec 30, 2017
Silas Melson scored 19 points to lead a typically balanced Gonzaga attack, and the No. 20 Zags rolled to an easy 101-52 win over Santa Clara on Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
Zach Norvell Jr. (14 points), Josh Perkins (12), Jeremy Jones (11), Rui Hachimura (11), Jacob Larson (10) and Corey Kispert (10) all joined Melson in scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs, who dominated this West Coast Conference game from the opening tip.
Gonzaga (12-3, 2-0 WCC) raced to a 22-4 lead, pushed its advantage to 27 at halftime and to 40 nine minutes into the second half.
The Zags' offensive efficiency was off the charts as they had 28 assists with just seven turnovers. Perkins and Norvell each dished out eight assists.
The Bulldogs led 81-38 after a 19-2 run that saw them force four Santa Clara turnovers during a five-minute stretch.
Gonzaga's bench outscored the Broncos' reserves 44-9, and the Bulldogs limited Santa Clara to just six rebounds on the offensive end.
Emmanuel Ndumanya scored a team-high 12 points, and KJ Feagin added nine points and six assists for Santa Clara (4-10, 1-1), which shot 37.8 from the floor.
Perkins made back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game, and the Bulldogs sprinted to a 15-0 lead.
The Broncos committed eight turnovers in the first 11 minutes, and the Zags had a 15-5 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.
The Zags led 33-10 after a Perkins 3-pointer 7:31 before halftime.
Gonzaga had 16 assists on 20 made baskets in the first half and was 8-for-8 on 2-pointers to start the game.
The Zags play at Pepperdine on Thursday, while Santa Clara will be at Loyola Marymount to take on the Lions.
NOTES: Santa Clara junior G KJ Feagin is averaging 18.7 points per game, second in the WCC to Jock Landale of Saint Mary's. ... Gonzaga F Corey Kispert continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered against Incarnate Word. The freshman played 23 minutes on Saturday, his most since the Nov. 29 injury. ... Gonzaga has beaten Santa Clara 14 straight times and has won 38 of the past 40 meetings.