Day after Cal Poly
Got some driving to do so we’ll get right to it.
Here’s my game story.
Read on for my day-after post.
--Looking back, there were probably some signals that this game might not be as easy as it appeared on paper. Gonzaga was coming off Finals Week and about to embark on a brief, but needed holiday break before reconvening for practice on Christmas Eve.
Cal Poly was prepared and offered up a 1-3-1 trap among numerous other defenses that left the Zags sputtering offensively. Gonzaga had 16 turnovers, not a huge number, but high for a low-possession game. That’s one short of GU’s season-high 17 against St. John’s.
The Mustangs won the majority of 50-50 balls and reeled in 11 offensive boards in the second half, despite being outsized at the ‘4’ and ‘5’. The Zags were fortunate those boards turned into just four second-chance points for the Mustangs.
GU would find its rhythm for a few possessions then try an ill-advised cross-court pass that became one of Cal Poly’s 10 steals.
“We knew it would be a low-possession game because that’s just the way they play,” Przemek Karnowski said. “We knew they were going to 1-3-1 but it didn’t really go well for us to break it down and get open looks. We pushed through it and stuck together and got another win.”
In other words, the final score is pass/fail so the Zags got the grade they were looking for. But there were a lot of red marks on their test paper.
“We missed a bunch of open 3s that a lot of times you make and are good shots for us,” coach Mark Few said. “We just had some really soft turnovers and they have a really aggressive guy (6-4 David Nwaba) up top that’s long and athletic.”
GU shot nearly 46 percent, which kind of fit the theme of the night. It was satisfactory, but well below their season average of 54.2.
“A grinder game,” is how Kyle Dranginis worded it.
--Cal Poly wasn’t shy about mixing it up. Kevin Pangos had a puffy right eye after a collision with 6-9, 253-pound Brian Bennett. There were numerous offensive fouls – two called on Domas Sabonis trying to post up – and a couple of tie-ups that left several bodies on the floor.
Karnowski continued his stretch of quality play with 16 points and eight boards. He left for about 3-4 minutes after rolling his left ankle early in the second half. He was hurt on a play in which he tipped out two rebounds to keep a GU possession alive.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, taking the shots we want him to take,” Few said. “He’s always been a force on the defensive end.”
Karnowski didn’t seem particularly worried after the game.
“I went back and got it taped, it helped,” Karnowski said. “It doesn’t hurt right now because I’m warmed up. I’ll ice it as much as I can during the 3-day break and be ready to go.”
--The players have a few days off before practice on Christmas Eve in preparation for a road game at BYU on Saturday. Karnowski’s parents flew in from Poland and watched the Battle in Seattle. They’ll be with their son for a couple of weeks.
Dranginis is heading home to Boise. Kyle Wiltjer, Connor Griffin, Silas Melson, Dustin Triano and Rem Bakamus will be in Portland and/or the surrounding areas. Eric McClellan, who becomes eligible for the San Francisco game on Jan. 8, was already back in Texas.
“Yeah, it’ll feel good,” Pangos said of the time off. “You have to keep the cardio up and get in the gym and get some shots. Hopefully not eat too much junk food and just get some time to spend on whatever you want to do.”
--Few indicated that the Battle in Seattle will go on but he hopes to attract marquee opponents. Gonzaga has seen its share of big-time foes in KeyArena, including Missouri, UConn, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Illinois and Arizona.
“There’s opportunities that are out there … that will make this game the type of game we’ve had in the past," Few said. "I’m guessing we’re probably not going to do many more guarantee games over here, that’s the long and short of it.”
STATS OF NOTE
--Gonzaga is 8-4 in the Battle and has won the last four.
--GU had just two double-figures scorers (Pangos and Karnowski each with 16). The Zags have had at least three players in double digits in every other game.
--Several Zags had uneven nights, including Gary Bell Jr. (2 of 9 FG, 6 points), Kyle Wiltjer (2 of 4, 8 points, 3 turnovers), Byron Wesley (8 points, 4 turnovers, 2 steals), Sabonis (4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers) and Dranginis (3 points, 3 assists, 4 turnovers).
--Cal Poly committed 16 turnovers, nine above its season average, and had just four assists.
--The Mustangs won two statistics that usually favor Gonzaga. Points in the paint 32-26, and bench points, 14-9.
--Two Mustangs fouled out. Cal Poly was called for 25 fouls, 18 in the second half.
QUOTEBOOK
Karnowski on the defense: “They scored a lot of points off easy turnovers, there’s not really any way to defend that. Our half-court defense was good for sure. Late in the game they got a lot of offensive rebounds, so we have to work on that.”
Few: “As a coach you always want more. It changes day to day, hour to hour. Kyle (Dranginis) was playing fantastic coming in and he didn’t play his ‘A’ game tonight. You just never know, but he’ll be back.”
Few on GU’s pre-conference start: “At 11-1, and a shot to win it in Tucson, pretty much controlled that game for long stretches, I’m real happy with where these guys are at but you have to keep moving forward.”
Dranginis on possibly returning to KeyArena for opening rounds of the NCAA tournament: “It didn’t really come up because we’ve been focusing one game at a time but a bunch of guys know (Seattle is a host site) and we have a lot of support here, as you could see from the game tonight. It would be awesome to come here.”
