Gonzaga-Fairleigh Dickinson: 3 keys to the Bulldogs’ 87-49 NCAA Tournament victory over the Knights

Key moment

The Zags made short work of this one. They led 18-4 before Fairleigh Dickinson registered its first field goal on Elyjah Williams’ putback with 13:28 left. Rui Hachimura outscored the Knights single-handedly for most of the half. Gonzaga kept extending its lead and Killian Tillie’s 3-pointer made it 53-17 at the break.

Offensive MVP

Hachimura didn’t have the smoothest shooting first half, but he tipped in one of his misses and made four free throws while putting Mike Holloway Jr. in foul trouble. Hachimura was aggressive from the outset and stung the Knights in transition and on the glass, putting up 14 points and six boards in the first half. He finished with 21 points and eight rebounds.

Defensive MVP

Darnell Edge, the Knights’ leading scorer coming off a 33-point effort in a First Four win over Prairie View A&M, didn’t find much room to operate against Zach Norvell initially and Geno Crandall off the bench. Edge was scoreless until hitting a 3-pointer from the March Madness logo (roughly 26 feet) with 5:18 left in the first half. Norvell and company continued to shut down Edge in the second half. Edge made 2 of 11 shots and finished with seven points.