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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Day after Sacramento State

Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins is sky-high after sinking a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to put the Bulldogs up 34 points. (Jesse Tinsley)
Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins is sky-high after sinking a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to put the Bulldogs up 34 points. (Jesse Tinsley)

A couple of observations from Gonzaga’s 104-58 dismantling of Sacramento State in last night’s season opener. 1). The 13th-ranked Zags, for one night at least, lived up to the flood of pre-season hype but business is about to pick up with defensive-minded SMU, ranked 22nd, visiting Monday night. And  2). Sac State is no Thompson Rivers. Just kidding, I think.

Here’s a link to my game story, Jesse Tinsley's photos (great snap of former SID Oliver Pierce with framed uniform from pre-game ceremony). Also, here's a link to my article with more details on GU participating in the 2015 Armed Forces Classic.

Onward with the first day-after post of the season. Read on.

 

--The biggest positive of the night: Kevin Pangos looking like Kevin Pangos again and Gary Bell Jr. looking like Gary Bell Jr. again.

Pangos was a shell of himself a year ago from December on with toe/ankle injuries. Against Sac State, the floater and finishes on the break were back in his game. He never lacked for effort last season but his body prevented him from flying around the way he did Friday night.

“You just want him to be able to play pain free and show people what he can do,” Few said. “It was so frustrating for him last year.”

Bell, who has had offseason surgeries the last two years that limited his opportunity to train, looked, well, healthy and refreshed. He played fast.

--Watched the replay to try to figure out how the mild-mannered Bell was assessed a technical foul. He was elbowed in the gut by 6-11, 250-pound Eric Stuteville. Bell took exception and responded with a modest shove. Officials reviewed the play and gave Bell a technical – the first I can remember in his career. Officials also had to cringe a little when seeing on replay that they missed the initial elbow.

Few said later that he’s rarely seen Bell upset, even in practice.

--Kyle Wiltjer didn’t shoot well against Thompson Rivers, but he was deadly against the Hornets. Like Pangos, he can score points in a hurry. He was mostly perimeter oriented, draining three 3s and a smooth fadeaway from 17 feet. He did hit a jump hook and got to the free-throw line four times.

But the moment that stood out on replay was a hustle play. As Kyle Dranginis released a 3-pointer, Wiltjer raced in from behind the 3-point line, circled around a defender and just as he was gathering the rebound for a quick putback he was plowed over by a Hornet. Sprawled out on the baseline, Wiltjer gestured to the official that he was in a shooting motion. The official agreed and Wiltjer went to the line for two free throws.

“I’m not worried about Wiltjer shooting the ball,” Few said. “We’re just trying to squeeze other things out of him. He did a decent job on the glass. On our ball-screen coverages, he was pretty darn good with those.”

--We keep calling them newcomers and technically they are in terms of their Gonzaga careers.

But Wiltjer, Byron Wesley, Domas Sabonis and Josh Perkins have a ton of experience. Wesley was a three-year starter at USC. Wiltjer played on a national championship team at Kentucky. Sabonis played, albeit sparingly, in what most consider the second best pro league (behind the NBA). Perkins was in high-level programs at the AAU and prep-school level, facing the top high school players in the country.

“They’re game ready,” Few said.

--As expected, Ryan Edwards, Bryan Alberts and Silas Melson are redshirting. They remain on stand-by in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances. Melson suited up and went through warm-ups. He told me afterward that he’s still scheduled to redshirt but will probably be in uniform until Eric McClellan becomes eligible in January.

STATS OF NOTE

--The Zags didn’t attempt a 3-pointer for the first 7:40 of the game, mainly because they were able to get better looks with ball movement and in their transition game. But they ended up hitting 6 of 10 from distance in the first half and 10 of 24 for the game.

--GU was 22-32 from the FT line (69 percent). Not great, but significantly better than GU’s 17 of 32 (53 percent) against Thompson Rivers.

--Gonzaga had a 23-3 edge in second-chance points and 32-13 advantage in points off turnovers.

--Nine Zags had at least one assist, led by Perkins’ 6. The team had 24 helpers.

QUOTEBOOK

Sabonis on the offense: “Today we were great -- 10 3-pointers, we were really accurate and 24 assists. Just moving and sharing the ball.”

Wiltjer: “It was an awesome feeling seeing some shots going in. It’s so fun playing with these guys because everyone gets excited and that’s always good to see.”

Wesley, on if it felt different than when he was at USC: “A lot different than what I’m used to. I’m just glad to get the ‘W’."

Dranginis on the defense: “We had five kills, which is three stops in a row. We’re a little bit bigger, Gary is always that lock-down defender and then we did a great job rebounding. We can go all-out and when we need a breather there’s someone coming in that’s just as good.”

 

 



Jim Meehan
Jim Meehan joined The Spokesman-Review in 1990. Jim is currently a reporter for the Sports Desk and covers Gonzaga University basketball, Spokane Empire football, college volleyball and golf.

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