Gonzaga dominating in USF 100-61 win

Trips to War Memorial Gym over the years haven’t always been kind to Gonzaga, but there has never been any doubt about the outcome of this season’s visit in a complete 100-61 rout against USF. . Drew Timme was the dominant catalyst for the blowout, as the second-year center looked like he could have beaten the Dons on his own if Mark Few had left him.

Timme scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half in a near-perfect shooting performance, missing just once on the field and three times on the free throw line, while also completing a double double with 10 rebounds. We will excuse those free throws if he continues to play like this.

Jalen Suggs (11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) also made his presence felt at both ends of the floor, while Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi and Aaron Cook each scored 12 points in a very balanced night of production from top to bottom of the list. Mark Few even had the chance to clear his bench with over six minutes left, and 10 of the 12 Zags who entered the game were able to score.

While Timme was putting on a show, Gonzaga’s defense completely locked the Dons up to the point that Timme almost single-handedly beat the hosts in the first half (26-21). USF missed their first 10 shots from the field and were apparently under duress at all times in their half-court attack. The Dons only managed to rack up a few points in the opening minutes of the game thanks to the free-throw line, which was the only opportunity for them to shoot an unchallenged shot.

USF, a team heavily reliant on drive and kick play to generate plenty of three-point shooting opportunities, struggled to break Gonzaga’s defense with penetration. This failure made a long night for the Dons as they always unleashed their average number of attempts from the three-point line but without much success as they ended the night with a paltry score of 7-33 (21.2 %) of the arc. It won’t be against a team of Gonzaga’s caliber.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the pitch, Timme used a full lineup of spins, slides and even a few splashes from the three-point line in one of the best offensive performances of the season. Here’s what the first 14 minutes looked like in Gonzaga’s stat book:

Give the Dons credit for not fully folding and sustaining their efforts, despite the onslaught, but it won’t be much comfort for a day that has been Gonzaga’s from start to finish.

After a rare five-game road streak, the Zags will now return home to play at Saint Mary’s on Thursday. Hopefully they can repeat their performance from this game in what has been one of the most complete games this team has put together in their undefeated campaign.