Tillie points Gonzaga in right direction against Utah State

It’s obviously early, but sophomore forward Killian Tillie came into Saturday’s Utah State game as Gonzaga’s eighth-leading scorer.

He left it with a career-high 20 points and moved up to second on the team’s scoring list.

Tillie’s performance helped Gonzaga defeat Utah State 79-66 on a night when Johnathan Williams and Josh Perkins, the Zags’ leading scorers and preseason All-WCC selections, struggled at the offensive end.

Williams, battling game-long foul problems, was just 1 of 5 from the field and scored five points. Perkins made only 3 of 13 shots en route to 11 points.

The 6-foot-10 Tillie constantly founds gaps in the Aggies’ zone defense. He missed two 3-point attempts but was 8 of 9 inside the arc, and virtually all of those were from point-blank range.

“My game is always to try to find a spot on the court to score,” said Tillie, who poured in 28 points in Gonzaga’s exhibition win over College of Idaho. “I was trying to move around and score the ball.”

Tillie has a nose for the ball and it appears he has a knack for scoring, too. His inside finishes included a dunk, layups, putbacks and jump hooks.

“I think he needs to play better defense, but he did a nice job on the offensive end,” coach Mark Few said. “He found spots where we needed to get him the ball and he delivered and was active. I think he can be more capable of posting up and a little bit more of a presence down there.”

Tillie is shooting just under 70 percent through three games. He’s 27 of 34 from the field when one includes his 11-of-11 effort against the Coyotes.

Tillie’s scoring average rose from 8.5 to 12.3 following Saturday’s game. His previous career high was 12 points against San Francisco last season.