GU deflates Pilots

Nothing came easy for the Gonzaga Bulldogs – the baskets, the rebounds, the long-distance 3-pointers.

But it was even tougher sledding for Portland. For example, in the midst of a 4-minute, 30-second dry spell in the first half, Gonzaga didn’t lose any ground on the scoreboard. In fact, the Bulldogs gained four points because Portland went scoreless for more than 5 minutes.

Gonzaga limited the normally efficient Portland offense to 32.7 percent shooting and carved out a 67-50 men’s basketball victory Saturday in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams.

The game, played in front of another sellout crowd of 6,000 at the McCarthey Athletic Center, lacked style points – and points in general, for that matter – so the Bulldogs relied on defense.

“They’re hard to get separation from because they play hard-nosed defense, they rebound really well and they stay disciplined to run their stuff,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of Portland. “I was proud of our guys. We didn’t shoot it great, but I thought we had one of the best, probably our best defensive effort of the season.”

The Bulldogs (10-4) finally got some separation in the final 5 minutes. They maintained an eight- to 12-point lead throughout the second half until Matt Bouldin drove for a layin, then made a steal and another driving layin while being fouled. He hit the free throw and GU’s lead was 56-41.

Josh Heytvelt’s dunk and Jeremy Pargo’s two free throws gave Gonzaga a 60-42 lead with 3:28 remaining.

“They have big guys, long arms, and it was hard down there (inside),” Pilots forward Robin Smeulders said of GU. “They just switch everything, which they can do because they’re so tall. It was hard for us to run our offense effectively.”

Portland (9-7) came in leading the WCC in field-goal accuracy (47.4 percent), but hit just 9 of 26 (34.6 percent) in the first half and 8 of 26 (30.8) in the second. The Pilots suffered their second-worst shooting performance of the season.

“If we come out with that type of intensity every night, we’ll be tough to score on,” said Bouldin, who backed up his 26-point effort against Tennessee with 14 points, six assists and no turnovers in 33 minutes.

Gonzaga trailed 13-12 after Bouldin scored inside with 15:03 left. Neither team cracked the scoreboard until Heytvelt, who had eight of GU’s first 14 points, connected in the lane and Demetri Goodson followed with a steal and two free throws. Portland broke its 5-minute drought with T.J. Campbell’s two free throws, but the Pilots’ point guard made just 3 of 11 field goals.

Guard Nik Raivio, younger brother of ex-Zag Derek Raivio, was 3 of 12 and scored nine points, seven less than his season average. He was 2 of 9 from the floor and scored only six points in last season’s game at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“Our point guards and wings did a good job pressuring the point. They had to make tough passes and I was able to read those,” said Gonzaga guard Steven Gray, who had 13 points and five steals.

The Pilots didn’t have a double-figures scorer until Jared Stohl’s 3-pointer with 90 seconds left gave him 10 points.

Heytvelt had 14 points and four turnovers. Pargo had 12 points but no assists. Austin Daye didn’t have a basket until midway through the second half and finished with a season-low three points. Daye had a team-high 10 rebounds, but the Pilots outrebounded GU 36-35.

Gonzaga, which has shot better than 40 percent in all but one game this season (Utah), was in the upper 30s much of the way before finishing at 43.1. The Bulldogs missed their first six 3-pointers before Gray drained the first of his three 3s.

Gonzaga 67, Portland 50

Percentages: FG .327, FT .579. 3-Point Goals: 5-16, .313 (Niedermeyer 1-3, Raivio 0-2, Campbell 1-4, Stohl 3-7). Team Rebounds: 36. Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 16 (Niedermeyer 2, Smeulders 4, Snutson 1, Raivio 4, Campbell 3, Sikma 2). Steals: 9 (Niedermeyer, Smeulders 3, Raivio, Campbell 3, Stohl). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .431, FT .850. 3-Point Goals: 6-20, .300 (Daye 0-1, Heytvelt 0-1, Bouldin 2-5, Gray 3-9, Downs 1-4). Team Rebounds: 35. Blocked Shots: 4 (Daye, Heytvelt, Gray, Downs). Turnovers: 13 (Daye 2, Heytvelt 4, Pargo 4, Goodson 2, Downs). Steals: 9 (Daye, Bouldin, Gray 5, Goodson, Downs). Technical Fouls: None.

Halftime–Gonzaga 34, Portland 26. A–6,000.