Jim Meehan

It took a couple of minutes for the Gonzaga Bulldogs to warm up on offense Thursday night. Once they did, they put on a passing-and-shooting clinic in the first half. The Bulldogs made nearly 67 percent of their shots, including 9 of 13 3-pointers, to put Oklahoma in a huge halftime hole. From there, Gonzaga kept the Sooners at bay with defense, rebounding and, yes, more offense to claim an 83-69 men’s basketball victory in front of 11,542 at the Arena in the annual Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic.

Nothing like a couple of breathers before a relaxing trip or two to open conference play. Yeah, right.

Early in the first half, Eastern Washington had five straight possessions end with a turnover. When the Eagles finally took care of the basketball, they missed three consecutive 3-point attempts. It was that kind of a night for EWU and it was the perfect tonic for Gonzaga, which cruised to its easiest men’s basketball win of the season, a 94-52 rout Monday night in front of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

While Gonzaga students have more than three weeks off over the holidays, GU men’s basketball players get roughly 4-5 days. And as you’re reading this, those 4-5 days are already over. The players fanned out for a short holiday break after Gonzaga’s blowout loss to Duke on Saturday in New York. Many of their flights departed Sunday from the East Coast and the players were due back in Spokane for afternoon practice on Christmas Day.

Rick and Danielle DeMulling have been married for roughly seven months and a belated wedding gift came along in the form of Idaho’s and Bowling Green’s 7-5 football seasons. Those records have landed the Vandals and Falcons in the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 30, and that’s made for some interesting conversations in the couple’s home on wheels, a 37-foot, 4-inch RV.

SEATTLE – The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had issues at the free-throw line the last few games, but they got plenty of practice at the stripe Saturday. Without two-time All-WCC guard Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga turned to its inside tandem of Elias Harris and Rob Sacre, sprinkled in several full-court dashes by Demetri “Meech” Goodson and made a living at the foul line. It added up to a 103-91 Battle in Seattle victory over Davidson, GU’s first win at KeyArena since 2005.

Gonzaga got an easy win. Senior guard Matt Bouldin got a bump on his head. The 21st-ranked Bulldogs delivered the rout most expected, taking control of their non-conference men’s basketball game against NCAA Division III Augustana midway through the first half and coasting to a 79-40 victory in front of 6,000 Wednesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga had the upper hand, until a misplaced elbow turned the momentum. Cruising with a nine-point lead late in the first half, Bulldogs freshman forward Elias Harris was ejected for a forearm to the throat of Wake Forest’s Chas McFarland – seconds after Matt Bouldin was whistled for a foul on C.J. Harris’ 3-pointer.

Typically, the only thing tougher than Gonzaga’s non-conference basketball schedule in November is December. The Bulldogs lost 25 games from 2007-09. Eleven of those defeats occurred in December. The last two seasons, Gonzaga has dropped seven December games and 14 overall. Meanwhile, the 17th-ranked Bulldogs have lost just three November games – counting Michigan State on Nov. 17 – dating back three seasons.

For the third time this season, Gonzaga found itself trailing by double digits. This time it was Washington State that had the Bulldogs down by as many as 15 in the first half and by 12 midway through the second. And for the third time, the Bulldogs roared back, overtaking WSU behind senior Matt Bouldin’s career-high 28 points and Elias Harris’ 21-point, nine-rebound second half for a 74-69 men’s basketball victory in front of a packed house of 6,000 Wednesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

San Diego coach Bill Grier felt nearly powerless as he watched Washington State sophomore forward Klay Thompson score 43 points on his Toreros in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout. “If you watched the game, it didn’t look like we guarded him at all,” Grier said of Thompson, who had 31 points in the second half as WSU won, 93-56, Saturday. “We had no answer for him. We just don’t have any wings with his size. Even if we had a guy draped on him, it was like we weren’t there.”

LAHAINA, Hawaii – It was the kind of stat sheet that made it hard for Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few to pick out his favorite entry. The near 50-percent shooting. The frequent trips to the free-throw line and the accuracy once they got there (21 of 25). The 38-31 edge in rebounding. The eight turnovers. The defensive work on Badgers guard Trevon Hughes, who finished with just 10 points, six under his average. Four players, and nearly a fifth, in double figures.

LAHAINA, Hawaii – It was the kind of stat sheet that made it hard for Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few to pick out his favorite entry.

LAHAINA, Hawaii – If the Gonzaga-Colorado game Monday looked familiar, it probably should have. Think Gonzaga-Michigan State, with Gonzaga playing the role of Michigan State and getting off the deck to win despite being outplayed most of the way. The Bulldogs yielded seven 3-pointers and trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. They were still down 11 with eight minutes gone in the second half. But a switch to a zone defense and a steady diet of guards Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray at the offensive end helped Gonzaga pull out a 76-72 Maui Invitational win inside a steamy Lahaina Civic Center.

LAHAINA, Hawaii – Gonzaga senior guard Matt Bouldin had a pretty reliable scouting report on Colorado’s basketball team. The native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., played pick-up ball with many of the Buffaloes during the summer. “I know a bunch of them really well, all the way back to high school and grade school,” said Bouldin, who had 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in Gonzaga’s 76-72 victory over Colorado on Monday. “And I’ve formed some friendships with some of their new guys.”

If the Gonzaga-Colorado game Monday looked familiar, it probably should have. Think Gonzaga-Michigan State, with Gonzaga playing the role of Michigan State and getting off the deck to win despite being outplayed most of the way.