Gonzaga notebook: Zags lose rebounding battle for just second time this season
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Rebounding had been something Gonzaga could count on this season.
That wasn’t the case Thursday.
At one point late in the first half, Santa Clara had as many offensive boards (eight) as Gonzaga had on the offensive and defensive glass. The 23rd-ranked Zags responded in the second half, but still lost the boards 44-31 and lost the game 77-76 at the Leavey Center.
“It hurts us a lot,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We got pounded hard, so we challenged them at halftime. We fought our way back. I thought Ben (Gregg) did a nice job. Anton (Watson) was spectacular tonight, but yeah, it’s tough. We had some not great games from a lot other people … so it’s hard on the road to get it done.”
The Broncos held a 27-11 rebounding advantage at halftime and a 10-4 edge in second-chance points. That was one of the main factors in SCU’s 40-34 halftime lead.
Watson led GU with nine rebounds, and Gregg and Braden Huff had five apiece.
Washington was the only other team to beat Gonzaga on the boards (36-28) this season. GU and Purdue were even, with both teams grabbing 38.
3-point woes return
Gonzaga shook off its 3-point-shooting issues during last week’s home sweep over Pepperdine and San Diego, but they returned in a big way against Santa Clara.
Gonzaga misfired on its first 11 3-point attempts before Huff connected with 1:47 remaining in the first half. It didn’t get much better in the second half as Nolan Hickman was the lone Zag to hit from behind the 3-point line.
The Zags finished 2 of 20 on 3s, a season-low 10%. They’ve been in the teens two other times – 6 of 32 (18.8%) vs. Purdue and 2 of 12 (16.7%) vs. UConn.
Gonzaga, which came in shooting 33.1% as a team, drained 19 of 42 3-pointers against Pepperdine and San Diego.
Watson avoids court-storming
Santa Clara fans rushed the court after the final horn sounded, celebrating the school’s first win over Gonzaga since 2011. It made for a chaotic scene, especially when Watson went down on the court with a leg cramp just after the final play.
Watson, who equaled his career high with 32 points, was helped to his feet by trainer Josh Therrien and guided toward GU’s bench and away from the crowd assembling near midcourt.
“A little bit,” Watson said about feeling the crowd around him. “It wasn’t too big of a deal. When the crowd started rushing the court, I was like, ‘I need to get out of here.’ Josh and maybe (assistant coach R-Jay Barsh) both got me.”
Watson has been dealing with a dislocated pinkie finger on his left hand. He dislocated it originally at the outset of the season and dislocated it again in the San Diego game. He said he’ll probably tape the finger in upcoming games.