Gonzaga rewind: Hunter Sallis and Drew Timme put clamps on Huskies, Efton Reid makes most of first-half shift

Gonzaga sweated out close finishes against Xavier, Baylor and Kent State – games that were decided by 12 combined points – so Bulldog fans probably didn’t mind seeing their team flip the script in Friday’s rivalry game against Washington.

The Zags overcame a slow start on offense, established a double-digit lead at halftime and coasted through the final 20 minutes of a 77-60 nonconference victory over the Huskies at McCarthey Athletic Center.

“I think if you look at the rest of the country, they’ve been up here and everybody else has been down here,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. “They’ve created that. That’s why they’re one of the best teams in the country. That’s what you’re trying to be.”

In a rivalry edition of the Gonzaga rewind, we focus on Hunter Sallis’ contributions off the bench, Drew Timme’s defensive impact and an encouraging stint from reserve big man Efton Reid against the Huskies.

Sallis keeps clamps on

Sallis scored seven points off the bench and for the second time in five days, manufactured a few impressive defensive highlights that helped the Zags at different junctures on Friday.

The sophomore guard checked in with 12 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the first half – a point where the Zags trailed 12-7. Sallis recorded a quick steal, knocked down a 3-pointer to tie it at 12, then chased down Koren Johnson to block the UW guard at the rim on the Huskies’ next possession.

“He’s been a ton to us. His energy he’s bringing on the defensive end has been spectacular,” Gonzaga assistant Brian Michaelson said. “I really think after that Xavier game we’ve really seen him pick up his confidence. He hit a big 3 tonight, but the way he’s getting through ball screens, the way he’s making plays in the gaps. He has the big block on the breakaway today.

“I think that’s multiple good games he’s strung together and that’s what we expect out of him. We expect him to kind of be our defensive stopper.”

Sallis’ playing time has been sporadic this season, but the former five-star recruit continues to reaffirm why the Bulldogs need him on the floor, and proved in both games this week why he’s vital to Gonzaga’s success on the defensive end.

Midway through the second half, Sallis recovered on defense to contest PJ Fuller’s jumper from the free-throw line, coming from far away to block the UW guard before recovering the loose ball. With ball in hand, Sallis raced down the floor and Euro stepped by Fuller to scoop in a layup with his right hand.

“Coaches always tell me to go out and make plays, so that’s really what I’ve been trying to do,” Sallis said. “Trying to figure out how I can help my team win and it’s really been defense and just a lot of energy into it. So hopefully, I continue it.”

Sallis was plus-15 in his 17 minutes on the floor, logging Gonzaga’s best plus/minus outside of Timme. He was perfect from the field (3 for 3), had two blocks, two assists and one steal.

“He’s earned these minutes and he’s earned them in crunch time and, obviously, I think Kent State, UW are prime examples,” Michaelson said.

Defensive Drew

Conversations about Timme’s impeccable footwork were tabled for at least one night. The senior’s quick hands warranted the attention this time.

Timme accounted for a third of Gonzaga’s 12 steals on the night – the second-highest total posted by the Bulldogs this season – and helped steady the defense at a point where the Zags’ offense was still lagging behind.

Each of Timme’s four steals came in the first half as the All-American forward matched a career high that was set during his freshman season against Texas A&M.

Two of Timme’s four steals came within the game’s first 4 minutes, generating loud reactions from a sellout Kennel crowd. Timme nearly converted his second steal into the basket on the other end, but he settled for two free throws after drawing a foul on Braxton Meah.

“He’s active, he gets his hands on a ton of balls, he has good hands so he can get out in those lanes,” Michaelson said. “But the other thing I think was big with that is he got those early. We were struggling offensively, so we had to get some stops and he really flew around. The last three or four games have been a really nice uptick for him defensively.”

Michaelson noticed an uptick in Timme’s defense during Gonzaga’s 88-84 win over Xavier at the Phil Knight Legacy. It’s been a focal point for the veteran , who wasn’t under much pressure to play elite defense last year while sharing the floor with lottery-pick center Chet Holmgren, one of the country’s most prolific rim protectors.

Timme’s defensive progress is not only a positive development for the Zags, but it could play a role in improving his stock ahead of the 2023 NBA draft. The Dallas native is averaging better than one block per game for the first time in his career and the four steals bumped his season average to 0.9 per game, also a career high.

“That’s huge for us,” Michaelson said. “I think quietly, because his offensive production is so spectacular and his rebounding has been really, really good this year, I think his defense starting with the Xavier game has been really good and obviously, it just makes us better as a unit when you have him out there.”

Teammate Anton Watson performed a double-take in a postgame news conference when hearing Timme had four steals.

“That’s tough,” Watson said. “Man, if he’s doing that, we’re unstoppable.”

Reid keys run

The LSU transfer got in earlier than usual, partially because of Watson’s foul trouble and partially because of his fit against UW’s unique zone defense.

Reid gave Timme a breather with 10:10 remaining in the first half and was key to the 9-0 scoring run that helped Gonzaga take control .

On his first possession after checking in, Reid caught the ball about 5 feet from the basket, turned and converted a hook shot to close UW’s lead to 12-9. Over 2½ minutes, he scored four points and added two rebounds, including on a missed layup from Watson that he converted into a layup to extend GU’s lead to 16-12.

“I told him how proud I was of him,” Michaelson said. “His development behind the scenes has been really good. He’s been going to work in practice, he’s been scoring, he’s been doing some really good things. This week with the zone, kind of how they position, we thought there would be a role for him.”

Reid started in every game for LSU’s NCAA Tournament team as a freshman before transferring to Gonzaga. He’s been relegated to a different role in Spokane, playing just 4.7 minutes off the bench and falling behind Ben Gregg in GU’s frontcourt rotation.

The sophomore’s short yet productive shift signified his continued growth within Gonzaga’s system. Reid hadn’t scored in the Bulldogs’ previous five games before making two field goals against Washington.

“That’s big time and I think we all love to see it,” Watson said. “We know he’s capable of doing that and he came in and basically said, ‘I’m going to get straight to the hoop.’ He got some quick buckets and it kind of sparked the whole team that first half. We love to see that.”