No. 1 Gonzaga looks to extend nation's longest winning streak (Feb 18, 2017)
With how dominant top-ranked Gonzaga has been in West Coast Conference play, trailing by five points late in the first half is as close to an upset as a team can get.
That was the case Thursday night for San Francisco, which was down by only two points with less than three minutes left in the first half. Gonzaga, playing in front of the home crowd in Spokane, Wash., woke up with an 8-2 run before halftime.
The Bulldogs (27-0, 15-0 WCC) increased the nation's longest winning streak to 27 games by routing the Dons 96-61.
"We're not going to beat every single team by 20 points in the first half," said center Przemek Karnowski, who had 23 points and seven rebounds for Gonzaga. "We've got to play our defense like we're supposed to."
Pacific (10-18, 4-11) is the next opponent that will attempt to at least keep the game close against the Bulldogs on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in Spokane. Only three regular-season games remain for Gonzaga as it tries to keep its perfect season alive.
The Tigers are coming off a 76-65 win at Portland on Thursday behind Anthony Townes' 18 points and career-high 16 rebounds.
Townes is the first Pacific player with at least 15 boards since 2011, when Sam Willard pulled down 18 against Cal State Bakersfield.
"The contributions from everyone were big," said Tigers head coach Damon Stoudamire. "Everyone who stepped foot on the floor contributed to the game and I think that was the biggest thing for us."
Pacific lost to Gonzaga 81-61 in Stockton, Calif., on New Year's Eve behind Karnowski's 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
Jacob Lampkin had what was then a career-high 18 points for Pacific, which has not defeated a Top 25 team since the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
"It got away from us," Stoudamire said. "Give them credit, they answered the bell. What they did was they wore us down. They knocked down shots, made some big shots and they've got a good team."
Gonzaga is led by Nigel Williams-Goss, who averages 16.2 points after scoring 30 on 10-of-14 shooting from the field against San Francisco. He also averages 4.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds.
The Bulldogs have three other players scoring in double figures: Karnowski (12.8 points per game), Zach Collins (10.5) and Jordan Mathews (10.1).
Ray Bowles and T.J. Wallace are the lone Pacific players who average double-figure scoring. Bowles averages 12.8 points and Wallace is at 12.5.
The Tigers shoot only 40 percent from the field, which ranks No. 329 in the nation. They face a tall order against a Gonzaga team that ranks No. 1, allowing teams to shoot only 37.2 percent.
Noting that San Francisco made only five of its first 20 shots in the second half Thursday, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said, "We guarded the ball better. We guarded the rim. We quit giving up threes."
Freshman reserve forward Killian Tillie suffered a broken bone in his right hand in the game. The injury does not require surgery and a timetable for his return is uncertain.
