THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

Perkins leads No. 18 Gonzaga over Texas Southern 97-69

Coach Mark Few of No. 18 Gonzaga doesn't want to see guard Josh Perkins focusing on pretty passes or crossover dribbles.

"Josh is an elite level shooter," Few said Friday night, after Perkins scored 20 points to lead Gonzaga over Texas Southern 97-69. "I want him to focus on that."

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Hermanson's 24 leads No. 22 Saint Mary's past Saint Francis

Calvin Hermanson made his first nine shots and was perfect on five 3-pointers for No. 22 Saint Mary's until coming up short on his sixth try from beyond the arc.

"And it was open," Hermanson said of his lone miss.

On a day when the Gaels' senior more than made up for it on both ends of the court, it hardly mattered.

Hermanson scored 24 points and sparked a pair of big runs with his 3-point shooting then helped key an improved defense in the second half as Saint Mary's pulled away to beat Saint Francis (Pa.) 85-68 on Saturday.

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Norvell leads No. 17 Gonzaga over Howard 106-69

Gonzaga coach Mark Few had seen Howard play well in losses to Indiana and George Washington this season, and was wary of the Bison shooters.

"We wanted to take away their 3s," Few said, after No. 17 Gonzaga pounded Howard 106-69 on Tuesday night. "The guys did a good job of listening."

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Hermanson, Naar lead big second half for No. 21 Saint Mary's

On top of the Saint Mary's white board in the locker room is a regular reminder that reads "transition defense."

Coach Randy Bennett figures it has been there his entire time at the mid-major school that pushes two decades. And he will certainly be stressing that idea even more so after watching the Gaels struggle to stop Cal State Fullerton on the fast break.

Calvin Hermanson scored 22 points, Emmett Naar had 11 points and nine assists, and the 21st-ranked Gaels used a big second half to beat Fullerton 76-57 on Wednesday night.

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Tillie leads No. 17 Gonzaga over Utah State 79-66

Killian Tillie scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds as No. 17 Gonzaga beat Utah State 79-66 on Saturday night.

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No. 17 Gonzaga blows big lead, holds off Texas 76-71 in OT

Coach Mark Few had no idea what to expect from No. 17 Gonzaga when his team arrived here and knowing the kind of competition the Bulldogs could end up facing.

Based off the results, it could be one wild ride for the Zags.

"We feel like we should have went 3-0 in this thing, but we also think we represented ourselves great," Few said. "We competed at the highest level. I walk out of here knowing we can play with anybody in the country now and we did not know that coming in."

Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, Josh Perkins added 15 points and Gonzaga blew a 21-point second half lead before putting away Texas 76-71 in overtime in a consolation game Sunday at the PK80 Invitational.

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Hachimura leads No. 15 Gonzaga over Incarnate Word 103-68

Gonzaga senior Johnathan Williams is aware that this is his final college basketball season, and he wants to make the most of it.

So even No. 15 Gonzaga's 103-68 blowout of Incarnate Word on Wednesday night was special.

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Tillie, Norvell lift No. 15 Zags over No. 25 Creighton 91-74

- Gonzaga freshman Zach Norvell Jr. missed all five of his shots in the first half.

He didn't miss many in the second half

Norvell scored all 21 of his points in the second as No. 15 Gonzaga rallied to beat No. 25 Creighton 91-74 on Friday night.

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Williams leads No. 12 Gonzaga to 97-70 rout of Washington

Playing its first true road game, in an amped-up environment against an in-state foe, coach Mark Few wondered how No. 12 Gonzaga would respond following a one-sided defeat.

He didn't need to worry. The Bulldogs emphatically continued their dominance over Washington.

"We came into a setting that was primed to see how we would react to adversity and I thought our guys just handled it in a spectacular fashion," Few said.

Johnathan Williams had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Zach Norvell Jr. added 21 points and Gonzaga ran away in the second half for a convincing 97-70 victory Sunday.

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Williams leads No. 12 Gonzaga to 97-70 rout of Washington

Playing its first true road game, in an amped-up environment against an in-state foe, coach Mark Few wondered how No. 12 Gonzaga would respond following a one-sided defeat.

He didn't need to worry. The Bulldogs emphatically continued their dominance over Washington.

"We came into a setting that was primed to see how we would react to adversity and I thought our guys just handled it in a spectacular fashion," Few said.

Johnathan Williams had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Zach Norvell Jr. added 21 points and Gonzaga ran away in the second half for a convincing 97-70 victory Sunday.

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Perkins leads No. 12 Gonzaga over North Dakota 89-83 in OT

Unheralded North Dakota gave No. 12 Gonzaga all it could handle on Saturday night.

Josh Perkins scored 20 points and Zach Norvell Jr. added 19 as the Bulldogs pulled out an 89-83 win in overtime.

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Killian Tillie leads No. 12 Gonzaga over IUPUI 101-71

After an underwhelming performance against North Dakota, Gonzaga coach Mark Few decided that starting post players Johnathan Williams and Killian Tillie would come off the bench Monday against IUPUI.

His message was received.

Tillie scored a career-high 27 points, and Williams added 17 points and 14 rebounds as No. 12 Gonzaga pounded IUPUI 101-71.

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Hachimura, Perkins lead No. 20 Gonzaga over Pacific 81-48

Josh Perkins said No. 20 Gonzaga did not panic when their shots did not fall in the first half against Pacific.

"We took the same looks and stayed confident," Perkins said. "They started to fall in the second half."

Did they ever.

Gonzaga outscored Pacific 50-27 in the second half and won the West Coast Conference opener for both teams 81-48 on Thursday night.

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No. 20 Gonzaga scores 1st 15 points, tops Santa Clara 101-52

Gonzaga lit up the scoreboard from beginning to end, but all the 20th-ranked Bulldogs wanted to talk about afterward was defense.

The Bulldogs had a season-high 28 assists, 13 3-pointers and caused 21 turnovers in an all-around, 101-52, dismantling of Santa Clara on Saturday.

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No. 19 Gonzaga overwhelms Pepperdine 89-59

Balanced scoring and ebullient defense continue to be a winning formula for Gonzaga.

Killian Tillie had 22 points and eight rebounds and was one of four Bulldogs in double-figures to lead No. 19 Gonzaga past Pepperdine 89-59 on Thursday night.

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Williams leads No. 19 Gonzaga past Loyola, 85-66

Gonzaga has become one of those college basketball programs that reload rather than rebuild.

Last season Gonzaga made it all the way to the NCAA championship game, led by a group now mostly departed.

But they have Johnathan Williams playing in the paint now, and he looked more than comfortable in a starring role Saturday night in No. 19 Gonzaga's 85-66 victory over Loyola Marymount.

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Melson leads No. 15 Gonzaga over Portland 103-57

Silas Melson has struggled with his shooting at times this season, but not on Thursday night against Portland.

Melson scored a career-high 23 points, making seven 3-pointers, as No. 15 Gonzaga routed Portland 103-57 for their fifth consecutive win.

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No. 15 Gonzaga holds off San Francisco 75-65

- Gonzaga got a rare test in conference play just in time for a first-place showdown against Saint Mary's.

Johnathan Williams scored 17 points and Josh Perkins added 16 to help the 15th ranked Bulldogs to their 18th straight road victory in the West Coast Conference, 75-65 over San Francisco on Saturday night.

 

Landale leads Saint Mary's to upset of No. 13 Gonzaga, 74-71

Home losses are rare for Gonzaga, even against archrival Saint Mary's. The Gaels relied on experience and their characteristically efficient offense to pull the upset on Thursday night.

Jock Landale had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and the Gaels beat the 13th-ranked Bulldogs 74-71 to take sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference.

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Norvell helps No. 13 Gonzaga bounce back to beat Santa Clara

Mark Few isn't surprised one bit by how well his Gonzaga Bulldogs have played after losses this season.

It hasn't happened often -- just four times in 21 games. But each time, they have followed up with convincing, if not lopsided, wins.

Zach Norvell Jr. scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and No. 13 Gonzaga bounced back from its first conference loss of the season to beat Santa Clara 75-60 on Saturday night.

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