Field Level Media
Feb 7, 2019
Junior power forward Brandon Clarke scored 20 points, collected a career-best 16 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead No. 4 Gonzaga to a 92-62 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night in West Coast Conference play at Spokane, Wash.
Junior forward Rui Hachimura added 17 points, and sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. scored 16 points for the Bulldogs (22-2, 9-0 WCC). Senior guard Geno Crandall had 12 points off the bench as Gonzaga won its 13th straight game.
The Bulldogs have defeated the Dons 16 straight times and have won the past 30 meetings in Spokane.
Senior point guard Frankie Ferrari had 14 points and four steals, and sophomore guard Charles Minlend also scored 14 points for the Dons (17-6, 5-4), who have lost three straight games. Senior forward Nate Renfro scored 10 points for San Francisco, which shot 38.8 percent from the field and was 5 of 16 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs have won nine games by 30 or more points during their 13-game winning streak.
Gonzaga shot 50 percent from the field, including 6 of 15 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs owned a 46-34 rebounding edge.
Clarke has 74 blocked shots to break the school mark of 70 set by Austin Daye in the 2008-09 season.
Bulldogs junior forward Killian Tillie departed the game with 12:46 remaining after appearing to reinjure his right ankle. Tillie underwent surgery on the right ankle in October to repair a stress fracture and returned to action on Jan. 5.
Gonzaga led by 13 at the break and pushed the lead to 48-30 on Clarke's dunk with 18:10 left.
San Francisco answered with an 11-3 push and moved within 10 on Ferrari's 3-pointer before the Bulldogs began pulling away.
Hachimura's two free throws made it a 20-point margin for the first time with 10:39 left. Senior forward Jeremy Jones followed with two free throws, and Clarke tallied on a tip-in to give Gonzaga a 72-48 advantage with 9:33 remaining.
The Bulldogs' lead topped out at 33 points.
Norvell scored 13 of his 15 first-half points during the final 4:31 as Gonzaga took a 43-30 lead into the break.
The Dons were within 28-25 before Norvell drained back-to-back 3-pointers as he scored 13 straight Gonzaga points. Clarke added two free throws to account for the 13-point halftime lead.
--Field Level Media