Gonzaga Thrashes Fullerton

WCC

After a poor performance in Thursday night’s loss to Montana State, Gonzaga basketball coach Dan Fitzgerald decided his Bulldogs needed a spark.

What they got, in the form of a stern Fitzgerald lecture, carried the energy of a volcanic eruption.

“They got a good old-fashioned (rear) chewing,” Fitzgerald said Saturday night, shortly after Gonzaga stormed into Fullerton, Calif., and took out its frustrations in an 83-57 non-conference men’s basketball shellacking of Cal State Fullerton.

“I told them that a competitor has a choice,” Fitzgerald explained. “He can either fold up his tent or he can get after it.”

Senior wing Jon Kinloch was among those who chose the latter, shaking off a 2-for-10 shooting debacle in Bozeman by hitting on 10 of 18 en route to 26 points against the Titans.

Paul Rogers added 15 points for the West Coast Conference Bulldogs, who never trailed and led by as many as 31 points in improved their record to 3-2.

Gonzaga shot 53 percent from the floor, hitting on 33 of 62 attempts, and was 11 of 12 from the foul line. In contrast, the Titans (1-3) made just 20 of 70 from the floor for 28 percent, and were outrebounded by GU 46-35.

John Williams played well for Fullerton State, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Gonzaga used a 9-0 run midway through the first half to turn a 16-14 lead into a 25-14 cushion, with Rogers scoring the final two baskets of the spurt.

A 3-pointer by Fullerton’s Chris St. Clair 6:40 before halftime pulled the Titans within 25-21, but Gonzaga gradually pulled away and led 43-28 to start the second half.

“We played the kind of basketball be have to play to be successful,” Fitzgerald said. “Fullerton’s not Villanova, but it’s still a game where we came into their place and got out with a win.

“I don’t like splits (winning one of two road games), but they look real good come Sunday morning. I was pleased with the way we bounced back after Montana State.”

Gonzaga 83, CS Fullerton 57

GONZAGA (3-2)

Kinloch 10-18 3-3 26, Snider 3-4 0-0 6, Rogers 7-12 1-1 15, Dixon 3-7 2-2 8, Williams 3-6 2-2 9, Nemeth 0-1 3-4 3, Leasure 2-3 0-0 4, Rollins 3-6 0-0 8, Ball 1-1 0-0 2, Kincaid 1-2 0-0 2, Hendrix 0-2 0-0 0, Bond 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-62 11-12 83.

CS FULLERTON (1-3)

Overton 1-6 2-4 4, Willaims 8-19 7-10 23, Richardson 2-7 0-1 4, Nayab 0-6 0-0 0, Dade 3-8 2-2 9, Jarrett 2-7 0-0 5, St. Clair 3-12 0-0 8, Hinkle 0-1 2-2 2, Thomas 0-3 0-0 0, Ng 0-0 0-0 0, Rassloff 1-1 0-1 2, Wright 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-71 13-20 57.

Halftime-Gonzaga 43, CSF 28. 3-Point goals-Gonzaga 6-11 (Kinloch 3-5, Williams 1-2, Leasure 0-1, Rollins 2-3), CSF 4-21 (Overton 0-3, Nayab 0-2, Dade 1-2, Jarrett 1-5, St. Clari 2-7, Hinkle 0-1, Thomas 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Gonzaga 47 (Leasure 9), CSF 35 (Williams 10). Assists-Gonzaga 26 (Dixon 8), CSF 12 (Nayab, Jarrett 3). Total fouls-Gonzaga 20, CSF 11. A-1,006.

Portland 113, S. Oregon 65

At Portland, Kweemada King scored 19 of his game-high 23 points to lead the WCC’s Pilots over the NAIA Division II Raiders.

King, who scored 28 points in his previous game against Eastern Washington, hit 7 of 8 field-goal attempts in the first half, which ended with the Pilots leading 62-30.

The 62 points set a school record for most points in a half, and the Pilots’ game total of 113 points fell two short of the Portland record.

Chivo Anderson added 21 points and point guard Dionn Holton had 14 assists - 13 in the first half - to establish a school record by one.

Southern Oregon (4-6) was led by Johnny Epps with 20 points.

Portland is 5-0 this season and a winner of 16 straight home games.

Loyola-Marymount 83, UCSB 73

At Los Angeles, Jim Williamson scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half to lead the WCC Lions (5-1) to a win over the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2-2).

UCSB used a 10-0 run late in the first half to take a 38-32 halftime lead. LMU trailed 50-42 with 15:30 remaining before three consecutive 3-point baskets by Williamson cut the lead to 52-51 with 13:13 remaining.

UC Santa Barbara’s last lead was 57-56 with 9:24 left. From there, Williamson scored eight consecutive points in a 1:40 span to propel the Lions to the victory.

Pepperdine 99, Weber St. 88

At Malibu, Calif., Bryan Hill scored 25 points to lead a balanced Waves (4-2) scoring attack against the Big Sky Conference Wildcats (3-3).

Tied 32-32 at halftime, Pepperdine scored 67 points in the second half. The WCC Waves took command with a 9-0 run to start the half.

St. John’s 80, San Francisco 78

In San Francisco, Felipe Lopez scored 20 points and Rowan Barrett added 19 to lead the Red Storm (3-3) over the WCC Dons (3-3).

, DataTimes