Field Level Media
Feb 17, 2019
Junior forward Rui Hachimura recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 3 Gonzaga claim its 16th straight victory, 79-67 over host San Diego on Saturday night in West Coast Conference play.
Sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. scored 18 points, and senior point guard Josh Perkins added 15 points and nine assists as Gonzaga won its 30th consecutive conference road game.
Junior forward Brandon Clarke had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (25-2, 12-0 WCC).
The Bulldogs' winning streak is now the longest in the country after top-ranked Tennessee had its 19-game run ended by No. 5 Kentucky earlier Saturday.
Senior forward Isaiah Pineiro scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half for San Diego (16-11, 5-7), which has lost three straight and four of its past five. Senior shooting guard Olin Carter III added 14 points, and senior guard Tyler Williams had 12 on four 3-pointers.
Gonzaga shot 69 percent in the second half to sidestep the Toreros' upset bid. The Bulldogs shot 58.2 percent overall but were just 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
San Diego shot 39.7 percent from the field and made 9 of 26 from behind the arc. The Toreros were outrebounded 35-26.
The 12-point margin represents the closest a WCC team has come against Gonzaga this season. The Bulldogs have beaten San Diego 10 straight times and in 43 of the past 46 meetings.
The contest was tied at 37 early in the second half before Perkins scored two baskets during an 8-0 run as Gonzaga took a 45-37 advantage with 16:01 remaining.
The Bulldogs' lead reached 53-43 when Hachimura knocked down a jumper with 11:58 remaining. Just 75 seconds later, Norvell converted a three-point play to make it 58-46.
Hachimura made back-to-back baskets to increase Gonzaga's lead to 67-52 with 8:29 remaining. The Toreros answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Williams and Pineiro to move within nine.
San Diego later crept within 73-65 on Pineiro's jumper with 1:15 left.
The Bulldogs were unable to get the ball inbounds and turned it over, but the Toreros also had trouble inbounding the ball and Williams called timeout when San Diego didn't have any left.
Williams was flagged with a technical foul, and Norvell made both free throws to push the margin to 10 as Gonzaga closed it out.
Carter drained a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in the first half to cap a 9-2 burst as the Toreros caught the Bulldogs at 30 going into the break.
--Field Level Media