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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga-San Francisco key matchup: Round two for Josh Perkins, Frankie Ferrari

Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins looks to pass as San Francisco guard Frankie Ferrari defends during the WCC Tournament semifinal last March. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins looks to pass as San Francisco guard Frankie Ferrari defends during the WCC Tournament semifinal last March. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

The first Gonzaga-San Francisco matchup didn’t disappoint and neither did the Josh Perkins-Frankie Ferrari matchup.

All 16 of Perkins’ points came in the second half, including a personal scoring run late in the second half when the lead went back and forth. He added five assists. Ferrari scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half but went scoreless in the last 4 minutes as GU closed on a 17-2 run.

Both point guards rank in the top 18 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. Both were first-team All-WCC last year.

Ferrari, who averages 14.1 points and 5.7 assists, orchestrates USF’s offense. He’s a capable shooter (37.8 percent on 3-pointers) and he’s a handful to defend coming off ball screens. Perkins, at 10.9 points and 6.7 assists, serves a similar role for the Zags.

The two typically guard each other with GU’s Geno Crandall an option when he enters the game.

“Looking forward to a big-time matchup, a big-time opponent coming to the Kennel,” Perkins said, “but I’m rocking with my guys 100 out of 100.”