Key moment

It must have been an impassioned halftime speech from Mark Few. Gonzaga went into the break trailing 44-37, but came out of the locker room blazing. The Bulldogs unleashed a 14-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half and transformed a seven-point deficit into a 10-point lead by the 11-minute mark.

Offensive player of the game

Silas Melson’s career game came at a good time for the Zags, who were missing Corey Kispert’s 10.4 ppg in this one. Melson was the most efficient player on the floor, scoring his personal-best 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting. The senior guard also shot 4-of-5 from the three-point line.

Defensive player of the game

All night, Creighton players had a tough time floating shots over Gonzaga’s long-armed sophomore forward, Killian Tillie. The 6-10 Tillie blocked three shots and the student section was roaring his name after an emphatic swat with six minutes left in the second half. Tillie also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and had a pair of steals.