Gonzaga takeaways: Andrew Nemhbard, defense keep Zags’ streaks intact

Gonzaga has so many streaks going, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all of them.

Here are a few pertinent ones in the aftermath of the second-ranked Zags’ 74-58 victory over No. 22 Saint Mary’s on Saturday.

Gonzaga has won seven in a row in the series and 14 of the last 16. Surprisingly, the Zags’ last 21 wins over the Gaels have all been by double figures. The last time it was a single-digit GU victory: 83-78 in 2013.

The Zags own the nation’s longest active home winning streak at 66. Their last loss at the McCarthey Athletic Center was to Saint Mary’s, 74-71, in 2018.

Gonzaga has won 14 consecutive games since falling to Alabama on Dec. 4. Beyond the number crunching, read on for a few more takeaways from the Zags’ latest victory.

Nembhard shines again

There wasn’t a ton of room in the spotlight with Drew Timme racking up 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Chet Holmgren delivering his eighth double-double (11 points and 13 boards) and Julian Strawther drilling two late 3-pointers to ensure another double-digit win.

Head coach Mark Few made certain Andrew Nembhard, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 37 turnover-free minutes, wasn’t lost in the background.

“Andrew was spectacular,” Few said. “He had to score in a bunch of different ways. He’s chasing (Saint Mary’s point guard Tommy) Kuhse all night. That’s just an unbelievable night for your point guard.”

The Zags avoided a white-knuckle finish with an 8-0 run after Saint Mary’s had pulled within 66-58. Timme said one of the main factors was Nembhard’s play down the stretch.

“You have a guy like him that can really slow the game down and make the right plays and score,” Timme said.

Nembhard had perhaps the night’s most memorable highlight, shaking a defender with a crossover dribble and rising for a one-handed slam. He’s dunked several times, but noted “the crowd’s energy was just elite so it was just having the adrenaline pumping and I felt good going down the key.”

Timme gave an assist to Nembhard recently opting to wear a headband.

“He’s rocking the headband now,” Timme said. “I’ve been telling him it gives you super powers.”

Caution: lane closed ahead

Another key aspect in Saturday’s win was Gonzaga’s first-half defense, which allowed the Zags to gain separation, 36-23, at the break, despite the Gaels keeping the tempo at their grind-it-out, slower pace.

Saint Mary’s center Matthias Tass hit a couple of early jump hooks over Holmgren with physical post moves, but the 7-foot freshman eventually got the better of the matchup while continuing to provide rim protection.

“He was huge,” Few said of Holmgren. “We ask a lot of him because they run that middle ball screen over and over again. We were basically having him shore up the paint against Kuhse, and Kuhse is as good as there is in the country at being really patient and if you make just the slightest mistake he’ll just throw it to the big for a layup.

“To get a 19-year-old to understand that in a short amount of time, he did a great job.”

Gonzaga, which thrives in fast-paced games, demonstrated against the Gaels it can run efficient half-court offense and get quality looks on nearly every possession.

After a slow start, the Zags made 50% from the field in the opening half and 60% in the closing half when both teams settled into a groove offensively. Saint Mary’s, though, was limited to 12 paint points in the first half and made just 35% of its 2-point attempts while Gonzaga had 26 paint points on 58.3% 2-point shooting.

The Zags were able to run occasionally, but they scored just four points off turnovers. That matched the UCLA game for GU’s second lowest total of the season. Gonzaga’s season-low was two points vs. Duke.

It’s not easy to dial up the pace without a willing dance partner. The Gaels rank 336th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo.

“We played great defense in the first half,” Few said. “You can try to run but when they have five guys back and they’re taking 25 seconds off the clock on every possession. I thought Andrew did a really nice job picking and choosing when we could get some advantages and we did get a couple fast-break opportunities. A lot of times they were getting four guys back.

“We shot over 50% in the first half, took great care of the ball. It was just one those games. It was really physical for both teams and it was just hard. You had to earn every basket. That’s a really good defensive team, nationally all year they’ve been 10 to 15 (in scoring defense).”

Meanwhile, Gonzaga has climbed to seventh in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.