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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga-Santa Clara: 3 keys to the Bulldogs’ 75-60 victory

Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr. scored 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half, in Gonzaga’s 75-60 win over Santa Clara on Saturday, January 20, 2018, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

Key moment

Santa Clara kept hanging around but, Gonzaga finally created separation with a 12-0 run midway through the second half to extend its lead to 66-46. Johnathan Williams started it with four points, Rui Hachimura contributed four points and Zach Norvell Jr. added a putback and an assist.

Offensive player of the game

Norvell Jr., a freshman guard for the Zags, had a big second half, reminiscent of several games earlier this season, scoring 14 of his 16 points to help Gonzaga pull away. Norvell finished 7 of 9 from the field, made a pair of 3-pointers and handed out seven assists, one shy of his season high.

Defensive player of the game

Hachimura found himself defending Santa Clara’s KJ Feagin for a sizable portion of the second half and he did a nice job on the standout point guard. Feagin finished with 21 points, but they were hard-earned on 8-of-17 shooting. He scored just nine points in the second half.