Gonzaga-Pacific key matchup: Taming Tigers’ Jahlil Tripp won’t be easy

Pacific is led in nearly every way by senior Jahlil Tripp.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior guard is the Tigers’ lone double-figure scorer at 15.5 points. In six conference games, he’s averaging 22 points, second only to Jordan Ford of Saint Mary’s. Tripp’s 8.4 rebounds top all West Coast Conference players (BYU’s Yoeli Childs hasn’t played in enough games to qualify).

Tripp, a 52.6% shooter from the field, is not an easy matchup because he’ll play anywhere on the floor and can distribute, with his 3.7 assists in WCC games ranking eighth.

The New York native doesn’t do much damage from distance (3 of 33 on 3-pointers), but he’s one of the better offensive rebounders in the conference and makes a habit of getting to the free-throw line. His 137 free-throw attempts are more than double the next-closest teammate.

The Zags have several options in defending Tripp, who scored 39 points in a four-overtime win over Saint Mary’s. To open the game, it’ll probably be wing Corey Kispert, but Tripp can expect to see Admon Gilder and possibly even forwards Killian Tillie, Drew Timme or Filip Petrusev, if the latter returns from an ankle injury.