Veteran Toreros Take The Bite Out Of Inexperienced Bulldogs
Riding an 11-1 record into Thursday night’s West Coast Conference opener, the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team was met with a cold stare from a more seasoned San Diego team.
The Bulldogs blinked.
“Welcome to the league,” said Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald, whose team fell behind early, then rallied to take a brief second-half lead before getting knocked around in an 80-70 loss. “It just got to be a typical league game, where it’s a little bit more physical. And our kids’ inexperience really showed.”
Paradoxically, the Bulldogs were led by two players making their WCC debuts - point guard Kyle Dixon and center Paul Rogers.
Dixon was sensational, scoring a career-high 27 points. And Rogers added 18 despite being limited by foul trouble to 4 first-half minutes.
The rest of the Bulldogs were miserable, with starters John Rillie, Jon Kinloch and Jason Rubright combining for 16 points. Without Jeff Brown, Geoff Goss and Matt Stanford - the core of last year’s leaguetitle team - the Bulldogs lacked the toughness they’ll need to win at San Francisco on Saturday.
San Diego made 26 of 45 field goals overall, including 20 of 29 from inside the 3-point line. While the Toreros’ heralded backcourt of David Fizdale (14 points) and Doug Harris (11 points) played to expectations, it was San Diego’s ability to control things inside that proved to be the difference.
Brian Bruso muscled inside for 12 points overall, including a tipin and layup that helped keep GU from rallying in the second half. Wing Sean Flannery led the Toreros with 19 points, scoring inside and out.
Gonzaga fell behind 24-14 early, making just 5 of 15 field goals to start the game. Scott Morgan’s free throw capped a rally that pulled the Bulldogs within 24-19 with 4 minutes left in the half, but a Flannery 3-pointer helped San Diego take a 35-27 lead into halftime.
Dixon’s 3-pointer following a GU timeout gave the Bulldogs a 50-48 edge with 9:50 remaining, but the Toreros quickly regained control.