Morgan Keys Gonzaga Rout

In an unusual development for a college basketball team, the Gonzaga Bulldogs received some of their best offensive production from their leftfielder.

That’s Scott Morgan, a senior forward who has recently rejoined the team after spending the summer and fall playing minor-league baseball in the Cleveland organization.

In Sunday’s non-suspenseful, non-conference 66-44 win over Sacramento State, the Bulldogs got 11 points in 17 minutes from Morgan.

He made four baskets and three free throws, and if he’d made a 3-pointer, he’d have hit for the cycle.

“That was really encouraging play from Morgan,” GU coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “He got in there and jumped around a lot and did a really good job.

“He’s a guy who isn’t going to turn us around completely, but he’s a good guy to have, a guy who is good for this program.”

Morgan played in all 30 games for the Bulldogs last year, but after the season was drafted by Cleveland in the seventh round and played left field for Watertown, N.Y. in a short-season A league.

He batted .262 and was second on the team in stolen bases.

But Morgan didn’t finish up his six-week stint in the Florida instructional league until the middle of October, leaving him ineligible to join the Bulldogs until after Christmas.

Sunday, the 6-foot-7 Morgan made his first four shots and pulled down five rebounds in his first extensive action of the season.

“Lately, the last couple of days in practice, I was feeling much better,” Morgan said. “I was hoping for more of a chance and I got it.”

Since Cleveland is paying for the remainder of his education, Morgan is not on scholarship, Fitzgerald said.

“He’s a guy who doesn’t need to do this,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s got his school paid for and his future is in baseball, so he doesn’t have to go through all this.”

And from the looks of the ice bags taped to Morgan’s left shoulder and right leg, the game is taking a physical toll on Morgan.

“I think I’m just going to go sit in an ice bucket next,” Morgan said.

Considering how they shot the ball, the Hornets (4-10) might have had their hands in ice buckets before the game.

Sac State netted only 29.3 percent of its shots from the floor and made only 3 for 19 3-point attempts.

“We couldn’t buy a basket, which has hurt us the last two times out,” said Hornet coach Don Newman, a former Washington State assistant and standout player at Idaho. “In a game against these guys, you have to be able to knock down the nets a little bit to have a chance to stay in the game.”

Gonzaga didn’t exactly sparkle from the field, either, though, a trend that has Fitzgerald concerned.

A 42-percent shooting effort for the Bulldogs meant that in three of the last four games, they’ve hit 42 percent or below.

“It was a good defensive effort, though,” Fitzgerald said. “We gave up 44 and only 53 (against Eastern Washington) the other night. That’s pretty good.”

Fitzgerald also touted “another tremendous effort” by senior center Scott Snider.

Snider led all scorers with 15 points while adding nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

The Bulldogs, who open West Coast Conference play on Friday at Santa Clara, have now won 11 straight home games and ran their streak of non-conference home victories to 39 games.

GU 66, Sacramento St. 44

Sacramento State (4-10) - Pompey 1-5 0-0 2, Jenkins 0-4 0-2 0, Victor 4-9 0-2 8, Ramirez 2-12 0-0 4, Boyd 2-10 4-4 8, Hoogenbosch 2-5 1-2 5, Carey 3-10 0-0 9, Sadler 0-0 1-2 1, E.Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Bass 2-2 1-2 5. Totals 17-58 7-14 44.

Gonzaga (9-3) - Dixon 1-5 2-4 4, Rollins 1-8 0-0 2, Snider 6-11 3-5 15, Rogers 4-9 2-2 10, Kinloch 2-6 0-0 5, K.Williams 2-4 0-0 4, Leasure 2-2 1-2 5, Ball 1-2 0-1 2, Kincaid 0-0 2-2 2, Hendrix 0-1 1-2 1, Bond 0-2 2-2 2, Nemeth 1-1 0-0 3, Morgan 4-6 3-4 11. Totals 24-57 16-24 66.

Halftime - Gonzaga 27, Sacramento St. 20. 3-Point goals-Sacramento St. 3-19 (Carey 3-10, Jenkins 0-1, Ramirez 0-2, Boyd 0-2, Pompey 0-4), Gonzaga 2-10 (Nemeth 1-1, Kinloch 1-3, Dixon 0-1, Ball 0-1, Rollins 0-4). Fouled out - Boyd. Rebounds-Sacramento St. 36 (Bass 7), Gonzaga 46 (Snider 9). Assists- Sacramento St. 5 (Jenkins, Boyd, Carey, Sadler, E.Williams 1), Gonzaga 13 (Rollins 5). Total fouls - Sacramento St. 18, Gonzaga 17. Technicals - None. A - 1,839.

, DataTimes