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Gonzaga Basketball

Portland’s Josh McSwiggan, Philipp Hartwich provide one-two punch for Pilots

Portland guard Josh McSwiggan, right, dribbles past DePaul guard Eli Cain during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017. (Craig Mitchelldyer / Associated Press)
Portland guard Josh McSwiggan, right, dribbles past DePaul guard Eli Cain during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017. (Craig Mitchelldyer / Associated Press)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

Sophomore Josh McSwiggan has been Portland’s most reliable scorer. The 6-foot-7 wing from England averages 13.4 points. He leads the team in made 3-pointers (44) and 3-point percentage (47.8) among rotation regulars.

McSwiggan’s season high is 18 but perhaps his best performance was hitting four 3s and scoring 17 against a Boise State team receiving votes in the polls. The Zags have options, likely with Zach Norvell Jr. and Corey Kispert, but they could go with a bigger defender in 6-8 Rui Hachimura or 6-10 Killian Tillie.

Another matchup to keep an eye on: Gonzaga’s Johnathan Williams and Portland center Philipp Hartwich. The 6-9 Williams had no problems against LMU 7-3 center Mattias Markusson last Saturday. The 7-2 Hartwich isn’t much of a scorer (6.3), but he’s swatted a WCC-leading 47 shots, including five versus BYU. The German native is Portland’s career leader in blocked shots.