Romp puts Zags alone in 1st place

It was a numbers game, and those generally favor Gonzaga’s depth and balance.

The third-ranked Zags wore down Saint Mary’s in the second half, pulling away for a 68-47 victory Thursday to take over sole possession of first place in the WCC.

A loud crowd of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center watched the Zags (19-1, 8-0 WCC) blow it open with a 22-2 run triggered by Gary Bell Jr.’s jumper with 11 minutes, 25 seconds left in the second half. When it was over, Gonzaga led 59-36, holding the Gaels to two points over a 7:20 span.

“It’s going to be a common theme,” said junior forward Kyle Wiltjer, who had one of his better all-around games with 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. “We had some guys in foul trouble. Hopefully, our depth can give teams problems, because a lot of teams don’t have that depth.”

Przemek Karnowski had two dunks off feeds from Kevin Pangos as GU went on top 43-34. Wiltjer turned in the play of the game, swatting Emmett Naar’s 3-point attempt, dribbling the length of the court and going behind his back before finishing with a layup.

GU’s run continued with long 3-pointers by Silas Melson and Wiltjer. Pangos added seven points, including a 3-pointer that bumped Gonzaga’s lead to 23.

“We just have to be able to hang with it,” GU coach Mark Few said. “When you have this kind of depth and this kind of team, and you can bring in Domas (Sabonis) for Shem, Silas for Gary, (Kyle) Dranginis for (Byron) Wesley and now (Eric) McClellan for Kevin, eventually that can take a toll on teams.”

It took a toll on the Gaels (15-4, 7-1), who relied heavily on Brad Waldow and didn’t get much from his supporting cast. The senior center finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, but he was limited to four points in the second half. He’s the only player in NCAA Division I who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“It felt like the entire offense goes through him,” said Karnowski, who, along with Sabonis, did a nice job defending the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Waldow in the second half. “We tried to mix it up, some doubles, 1-on-1, and that kind of worked out.”

Pangos scored nine of his team-high 14 points and had four of his five assists in the second half. Bell added nine points and four rebounds. Sabonis dominated the glass, finishing with 13 rebounds in 22 minutes and helping GU to a 36-28 edge against the WCC’s top team in rebounding margin.

“I thought Domas was spectacular and Wiltjer gave us one of his better efforts on the rebounding,” Few said. “And we talked about our wings having to step back and block out because their wings are coming.”

Saint Mary’s made just 36 percent of its shots, including 2 of 15 3-pointers. Guard Kerry Carter, who averages 12.9 points, scored five on 2-of-6 shooting. Point guard Aaron Bright, who averages 11.6 points, was 0 of 7 and didn’t score.

The Gaels had six assists on 18 field goals.

“I thought the first half we competed well. We didn’t play very well offensively,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “The second half we didn’t do, either. They’ll do that to you. They keep the heat on you and you can’t afford to have a shooting night like we did.”

Gonzaga led by eight late in the first half after Bell’s 3-pointer and driving layup. Waldow followed his miss to trim GU’s lead to 27-21 at half.

Waldow kept Saint Mary’s close in the opening half with 10 points – at least two field goals coming on unconventional side-arm flip shots – five rebounds and two assists. He hit 4 of 6 shots, but the rest of the Gaels combined to make 4 of 18.

“You can limit them but they’re going to score,” Bennett said. “You have to find a way to put points on the board.”