Recap and highlights: Drew Timme scores career-high 38 points to lead Gonzaga to shaky win over Pacific, 99-90
STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga doesn’t lose twice in a row, and it certainly doesn’t lose to Pacific.
Yet, the 18-point favorite Bulldogs were tied at halftime with a foe they haven’t lost to in a near half-century.
Gonzaga turned to Drew Timme to right its struggles and he responded, leading a second-half surge in a 99-90 win over Pacific on Saturday in Stockton, California.
Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half. It could have been more had he not made 4 of 11 attempts from the free throw line.
Timme led the Bulldogs (17-4, 6-1 West Coast) to a 12-point run to open the second half. The Zags held that lead for the remainder of the period.
The Tigers (10-12, 3-4) made 8 of 12 3-point attempts in the first half to keep pace with the Zags, but couldn’t replicate that effort in the second, shooting 1-for-7. Pacific came within three points in the second half, but that was as close as they’d come.
Anton Watson had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rasir Bolton added 16 points and Julian Strawther had 15.
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga will likely take a hit in Monday’s AP Top 25, following its loss to Loyola-Marymount on Thursday. It avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2018 and sits in second place in the WCC behind Saint Mary’s, which is 7-0 in conference play.
The Zags have one game next week, at Portland on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
First half
16:27 – UoP 15, GU 10: Hot start for Pacific gives the Tigers the early lead.
Tigers open 5 of 6 from the field and 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
13:12 – UoP 22, GU 15: Tigers find the open man in transition and Avdalovic nails the 3-pointer, leading to a Gonzaga timeout.
Zags don’t have an answer on defensive end early on.
11:54 – UoP 22, GU 20: Smith sparks a quick 5-point swing for the Zags with a 3-pointer, a steal and assist to Strawther. Blake called for a foul on Watson, who has four offensive rebounds, at the U12 media timeout.
7:12 – UoP 32, GU 29: Tigers continue to knock down outside shots, 6-for-8 on 3-pointers to maintain their lead at the U8 media timeout.
Pacific has led for 11 minutes in the half. Boone and Avdalovic lead with eight points apiece. Timme leads the Zags with 8, but is 2 of 5 on free throw attempts.
3:11 – GU 38, UoP 38: Tigers tie it back up on a pair of free throws, Zags jockeying for the lead into halftime.
Halftime
Rasir Bolton knocked down a fall-away jumper at the buzzer to send Gonzaga and Pacific to a 47-47 tie at halftime in Stockton, California.
Gonzaga, an 18-point favorite, watched as the Tigers knocked down 8 of 12 3-point attempts in the first half, but made up the difference at the free throw line, as both teams shot 48.5% from the field.
Drew Timme led the Zags with 14 points, while Julian Strawther added 10. Timme made 4 of 8 free throw attempts in the half.
Pacific is led by three players in double figures. Luke Avdalovic has 11 points, while Keylan Boone and Judson Martindale added 10 apiece.
Gonzaga is hoping to avoid suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2018. Pacific has not beat the Zags since 1976.
Second half
18:30 – GU 53, UoP 47: Quick six-point run by the Zags and Pacific calls a timeout.
Timme up to 18 points. Watson nears a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
16:38 – GU 59, UoP 47: Time for a Timme takeover.
Timme up to 10 points in the half, as the Zags are on a 12-point run and the Tigers call another timeout. GU forward up to 24 points in the game.
15:51 – GU 61, UoP 49: Timme grabs an offensive rebound and makes a layup plus a foul at the U16 media timeout.
Pacific has no answer for Timme in the second half, as he leads with 26 points.
10:55 – GU 69, UoP 65: Tigers refuse to go away, as Boone is up to 15 points. Timme is up to 32 points.
7:44 – GU 78, UoP 73: Bolton called for a foul at the U8 media timeout and the Tigers continue to hang around.
2:46 – GU 92, UoP 81: Zags pulling away now, closing in on a victory at the U4 media timeout. Timme has 36 points.
Pregame
If there’s one thing Gonzaga isn’t used to, it’s losing two games in a row.
The Bulldogs aim to avoid consecutive upsets tonight at Pacific, two days removed from a stunning loss to Loyola Marymount, which snapped the longest home winning streak in the nation. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with KHQ and Root+ carrying the broadcast.
Gonzaga enter as 17½-point favorites according to Vegasinsider consensus.
The Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1 West Coast) had won a string of narrow conference games, but fell to the Lions on Thursday, allowing the winner with 14 seconds remaining and having two last-ditch efforts stopped on the other end.
Gonzaga hasn’t lost consecutive contests since the Jerry Colangelo Classic in 2018.
The Tigers (10-11, 3-3) are enjoying an improved season from a dismal 8-win effort last year. They have conference wins over LMU, San Diego and Pepperdine, but have lost consecutive games vs. Santa Clara on Jan. 14 and at San Francisco on Thursday.
Series history
Gonzaga holds a 20-1 all-time record over Pacific, winning all 18 meetings since the Tigers re-joined the West Coast Conference in 2013.
Pacific’s lone win over the Zags was on Dec. 23, 1976. All of the Zags WCC wins over Pacific have come by double figures.
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