Zags handle St. John’s

Thu., March 17, 2011

Gonzaga forward Kelly Olynyk (13) puts up a shot against St. John's forward Sean Evans (5) as St. John's forward Justin Burrell (24) and guard Paris Horne (23) look on in the first half during a Southeast regional second-round NCAA tournament college basketball game Thursday, March 17, 2011, in Denver. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)

By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com (509) 459-5585

No. 11-seeded Gonzaga took command early with a 12-0 run, built an 11-point halftime lead and cruised to an 86-71 victory over No. 6 St. John’s on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga (25-9) will face No. 3 BYU (31-4), which will join the WCC next season, on Saturday. The winner advances to the Sweet 16. BYU eliminated Wofford 74-66.

Marquise Carter scored 24 points, Steven Gray hit four 3-pointers and added 16 points, and Elias Harris had 15 for the Bulldogs, who shot over 60 percent from the field for most of the game before dropping into the 50s late.

Dwight Hardy led SJU (21-12) with 24 points on 10 of 23 shooting.