No. 10 Zags set program record vs. Eastern Oregon, 120-42

Published Dec. 28, 2022 7:31 p.m. ET

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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme had 18 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes, Efton Reid III added a season-high 16 points and No. 10 Gonzaga raced past NAIA member Eastern Oregon 120-42 on Wednesday to set a program record for the largest margin of victory.

It was Gonzaga's first time beating an opponent by 70-plus points. Gonzaga's previous best was a 61-point victory against Denver in the 2018-19 season, and the Zags also beat Eastern Oregon by 60 points in 2001.

All five Gonzaga starters finished in double figures — with each playing less than 21 minutes. Rasir Bolton added 14 points, Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson each had 13 points, and Julian Strawther and Malachi Smith scored 10 apiece.

Gonzaga shot 70.4% from the field (50 of 71) to narrowly miss setting another program record of 71.8% shooting against Saint Mary's in 1996.

Gonzaga (11-3) also extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 73 games.

Timme made his first seven shots and finished 8 of 10 from the field. Timme entered ranked seventh in program history with 1,808 points and moved past Matt Santangelo and Kevin Pangos for fifth. Reid, a transfer from LSU, made all eight of his shots.

Gonzaga went ahead by double figures for good with 13:18 remaining in the first half and Hickman’s 3-pointer with 11:03 left made it 31-13. The Zags extended their lead to 58-28 by halftime after making 24 of 32 (75%) field goals. The Gonzaga defense forced 13 turnovers in the first half, nine coming from steals, leading to a 17-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

Gonzaga scored the opening nine points of the second half to begin a 16-2 run for a 44-point lead and then sat all five starters midway through the second half. The Zags added a 20-0 run for a 62-point lead and reached 100 points with 5:44 left.

Spanning halftime, Eastern Oregon made just 2 of 18 shots — with eight straight misses on two occasions during the stretch. The Mountaineers also missed their final seven shots as Gonzaga closed on a 14-0 run.

Malachi Afework finished with 11 points for Eastern Oregon, which played the game as an exhibition.

Gonzaga closes the calendar year against Pepperdine on New Year's Eve before going on a three-game road trip against West Coast Conference opponents.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Anton Watson

Rasir Bolton

Drew Timme

Gonzaga Bulldogs