Reserves get key minutes as No. 15 Gonzaga routs Incarnate Word 103-68

Rui Hachimura scored 18 points and Zach Norvell Jr. added 17 more – both coming off the bench – as No. 15 Gonzaga cruised to a 103-68 victory over Incarnate Word on Wednesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (6-1) dominated from the start, holding a 23-point halftime lead, which allowed coach Mark Few to give his depth some valuable minutes.

Josh Perkins continued his strong form after last weekend’s PK80 Invitational, hitting all six of his shots – including three 3-pointers – to lead all starters with 16 points.

It wasn’t all perfect for the Zags though, as freshman wing Corey Kispert missed the second half with an ankle injury.

Sophomore center Jacob Larsen also scored a season-high 14 points to help Gonzaga hit the century mark for the third time this season.

Defensively, Gonzaga bullied the Cardinals (3-3) from the opening tip. Gonzaga forced 19 UIW turnovers, while also dominating on the glass (41-27).

Jalin Hart led the Cardinals with 17 points.

Next up for Gonzaga is a 7 p.m. showdown Friday against No. 25 Creighton (ESPN2) before traveling to New York City to face fourth-ranked Villanova on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Second half

Final – Gonzaga 103, UIW 68: Bulldogs hit the century mark while coasting past Incarnate Word.

Mark Few gets his reserves plenty of minutes in victory and more importantly some rest for the starters – including Kispert and his injured ankle.

Gonzaga plays 12 players total in the game.

3:18 – Gonzaga 97, UIW 57: Wade gets on the board for the Zags with a corner 3-pointer, while sophomore Jack Beach has also gotten some playing time.

10 different Bulldogs have scored tonight, led by Hachimura’s 18 points. Larsen is also quietly up to 14.

7:27 – Gonzaga 86, UIW 45: Four Bulldogs into double figures now as Larsen (12) and Norvell (12) join the club.

Zags absolutely shutting down the Cardinals this half with mostly backups. Good chance to give the starters rest ahead of Friday’s big contest against No. 25 Creighton on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2).

12:25 – Gonzaga 72, UIW 36: Reserve-heavy lineup in now for the Zags with Norvell, Hachimura, Jesse Wade and Jacob Larsen joining Silas Melson.

Hachimura starting to control the paint and is now up to 13 points and five boards.

Incarnate Word has also turned the ball over 15 times compared to Gonzaga’s eight. Rebounding edge also remaining with the Bulldogs (29-17)

15:17 – Gonzaga 65, UIW 32: Norvell Jr gets the second-half start over Kispert who hobbled off the court with an ankle injury in the first half.

As far as on the court goes, Perkins hits his fourth 3-pointer of the game as the Zags have picked up right where they left off at the half.

Gonzaga also doing a great job capitalizing on turnovers with 16 points.

The opening minutes were highlighted by a Norvell to Tillie alley-oop.

Corey Kispert leaves Incarnate Word game with leg injury

Gonzaga starting wing Corey Kispert left Wednesday’s game against Incarnate Word late in the first half with an apparent leg injury. | READ MORE »

Halftime

Gonzaga 49, UIW 26: Josh Perkins is a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor with 13 points to lead Gonzaga in a dominating first half against Incarnate Word on Wednesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Perkins has also hit all three of his 3-point attempts to go along with three rebounds and an assist.

Rui Hachimura also continued his strong form from last weekend’s PK80 Invitational with 10 points and five rebounds.

The Bulldogs dominated the Cardinals in all aspects of the half, including shooting (56-33 percent) and rebounding (24-12).

Johnathan Williams leads all players with seven boards.

Incarnate Word’s Jalin Hart has also reached double figures with 10 points.

First half

Halftime – Gonzaga 49, UIW 26: All Bulldogs from the opening tip in this one. Balanced scoring and strong defense has helped the No. 15 team in the country build a 23-point lead.

3:57 – Gonzaga 38, UIW 19: Hachimura into double figures first for the Bulldogs after hitting from deep on some fantastic ball movement.

A few less-than-ideal possessions for the Zags have been bailed out by the defense, including a nice play by Tillie to draw a charge after a Rui turnovers. Rebounding advantage now favors the Zags 21-12.

Gonzaga starting to cool off from deep as well, missing its last several attempts but still shooting 7 of 16 so far.

7:52 – Gonzaga 32, UIW 14: Another nice showing from Rui Hachimura, who is up to seven points.

Bulldogs also dominating on the glass, outrebounding UIW 10-5. The most eye-popping stat of all though may be Gonzaga’s shooting percentage of 70 percent. Bulldogs also have 11 assists on their 14 makes.

Zags head into the media break on five straight points from Corey Kispert and another Perkins 3-pointer.

11:04 – Gonzaga 27, UIW 10: The Zags opened as a 35.5 percent favorite in this one, and its showing.

Bulldogs had a 17-0 run going before a pair of Incarnate Word free throws..

Josh Perkins continued his hot shooting from range, knocking down another 3-pointer, while Zach Norvell Jr. became the fourth Bulldog to connect from deep in the first seven minutes.

15:42 – Gonzaga 14, UIW 2: Bulldogs exploiting the size advantage early as Johnathan Williams scored six early points. Killian Tillie and Silas Melson 3-pointers also helped Gonzaga get out of the gate quickly.

Defense has been stout for the Zags as well, which is holding Incarnate Word to 12.5 percent shooting.

Gonzaga announces starting five

Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins continues torrid 3-point pace

Josh Perkins has been committed to the long shot this season.

The Gonzaga junior guard is seventh in the country with 25 makes from 3-point range, and is ranked 10th nationally with his average of 4.17 3-pointers in six games. Both numbers lead the West Coast Conference. | READ MORE »

Gonzaga brings size advantage into Incarnate Word matchup

The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) has a number of players in the 6-foot-4 to 6-7 range but they’ll be undersized against Gonzaga’s starting frontcourt of Johnathan Williams and Killian Tillie, as well as against reserves Rui Hachimura and Jacob Larsen. | READ MORE »

NCAA men’s basketball

At McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane

➤Wednesday, Nov. 29: Incarnate Word Cardinals at Gonzaga Bulldogs, 6 p.m. PT TV:KHQ in Spokane, ROOT Sports regionally Online: wccsports.com