GU blows past Mountaineers; Bahamas next

Another blowout and now on to the Bahamas.

Domantas Sabonis and Silas Melson scored 15 points each to lead six Gonzaga scorers in double figures and the Bulldogs — college basketball’s 10th-ranked team — overcame a turnover-filled first half to romp past Mount St. Mary’s 101-56 at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday night.

It was the Zags’ last tuneup before heading to Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the Battle 4 Atlantis, an eight-team affair at the Atlantis Resort. Gonzaga opens up the tournament on Wednesday against cross-state rival Washington, the teams’ first meeting since 2006.

The anticipated wipeout — the Mountaineers suffered blowout losses to Maryland, Ohio State and UW in their first three games — didn’t materialize until the second half, even after a quick start for the 2-0 Zags. A 14-2 burst fueled by six Mountaineer turnovers got the Bulldogs going, with Eric McClellan’s six points leading the way.

But soon Gonzaga began having turnover issues of its own — 10 in the first half — and Mount St. Mary’s managed to hang tough through 20 minutes, trailing 41-29 at the break.

An 11-0 blitz early in the second half settled things, Kyle Dranginis capping the run with 3-pointers from opposite corners on pretty feeds from Josh Perkins and McClellan. Even then, the Mountaineers didn’t buckle until the final seven minutes, when the deficit grew from 24 to 45 points.

Sabonis completed his first double-double of the season with 14 rebounds. Dranginis and McClellan finished with 13 points apiece, while Kyle Wiltjer had 12 and Perkins 11. The Bulldogs shot 59 percent from the field, and outrebounded the Mount 49-25.

B.K. Ashe topped the Mountaineers with 16 points.