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 The junior forward poured in a career-high 45 points for
third-ranked Gonzaga, and the hot-shooting Bulldogs pulled away
early and then held off pesky Pacific 86-74 to become the nation's
first team to win 27 games this season.
They did it before a noisy throng of 5,672 fans at Spanos Center,
the most to see a Pacific home game this season. That crowd was at
full pitch as the Tigers came out swinging to take an early lead
three minutes into the game.
After that, it was all Wiltjer. Scoring at will on outside jumpers
and drives to the basket, he didn't stop until his seventh 3-pointer
with 10 seconds remaining gave him the third-most points in a game
in Gonzaga history, and the most since Frank Burgess scored a
school-record 52 in 1961.
It was the most points ever scored in a game by a Pacific opponent.
"I was just in the zone," Wiltjer said. "I wasn't really thinking
about it. It just happened. I was just trying to win the game. The
points just came."
They never stopped coming. Wiltjer had 22 points by halftime, and he
came up with big shot after big shot every time Pacific threatened
to get back in the game.
 Wiltjer shot 15 of 22 attempts from the floor and made seven of 10
from beyond the 3-point arc as his teammates continuously fed him
the ball and set him up for good looks. Wiltjer also led the
Bulldogs with six rebounds and had four assists.
"He started early and finished late," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.
"This was one when he was on it all night. I've seen him do it in
practice. It's not like it was an out-of-body experience. But
tonight, his teammates did a good job finding him and making the
extra pass or two to get it to him."
In the process, the unselfish Bulldogs (27-1) tied a school record
with their 20th consecutive win. The mark was set in 2003-04 and
matched in 2005-06.
The Bulldogs gave Few his second 15-0 start in West Coast Conference
play by making 11 of their first 15 shots from the field --
including 6-for-6 accuracy from 3-point range -- and then answering
each time Pacific made a run.
Doing most of the answering was Wiltjer, who gave an indication of
things to come by sinking six of his first seven shots, including
all three attempts from beyond the arc.
"Unbelievable," Pacific coach Ron Verlin said. "He shot the ball so
well. I've been doing this 25 years, and you just don't see that too
often. Especially guys coming in and doing it at your own home."
Behind the play of sophomore guards T.J. Wallace (19 points) and
David Taylor (18 points), Pacific never went away. However., the
Tigers simply had no answer for Gonzaga's scoring machine
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Wiltjer's fifth 3-pointer with 7:50 to play put Gonzaga's lead back
to double digits at 66-55. When Pacific followed with the next two
baskets, Wiltjer took a pass on the perimeter and calmly sank
another 3-pointer.
"I was just getting open and they were finding me," Wiltjer said.
"I'd have to go back to seventh or eighth grade to find the last
time I scored that much."
Pacific (10-17, 2-13) wasn't quite done yet. Wallace followed his
three-point play with a jumper to bring the Tigers within 71-64 with
5:21 to play.
Wiltjer responded with consecutive driving layups, and Pacific never
got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
"We took a lot of their shots at us and kept hanging in there,"
Verlin said. "That's the best we've shot the three all year.
Defensively, we just didn't do enough to stop them, especially
Wiltjer."
Guard Gary Bell Jr. scored 12 points for Gonzaga. Guard Ray Bowles
scored 13 points for Pacific, and forward Eric Thompson added 10
points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Tigers.
NOTES: The Bulldogs won their 20th consecutive WCC game dating back
to last season. ... Gonzaga started WCC play at least 14-0 for the
fifth time under coach Mark Few. ... The Bulldogs placed five
players in double figures during a 91-60 victory over Pacific at
Spokane, Wash., on Jan. 24. ... Gonzaga senior PG Kevin Pangos
started his 131st consecutive game. He finished with four points,
eight assists and five rebounds. ... Sophomore G T.J. Wallace
entered Thursday as Pacific's leading scorer (13.4 points per game)
and rebounder (5.7 per game) and was second in assists.
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