No. 8
Gonzaga dominates Mississippi Valley State
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[December 02, 2016]
No. 8 Gonzaga's challenge in its
97-63 win over visiting Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night
was to beat the Delta Devils while resisting the temptation to look
ahead to its game against No. 16 Arizona on Saturday in Los Angeles.
"We had to stay focused," said guard Silas Melson, who tied Josh
Perkins with a team-high 15 points against Mississippi Valley State.
"We've got a big one coming up Saturday. We didn't want to overlook
this one too much. This one here is good for our confidence and keep
our mojo."
Melson and fellow guard Josh Perkins had 15 points each to lead the
Bulldogs (7-0) against Mississippi Valley State (0-9). Gonzaga
reserve forwards Zach Collins (13 points and nine rebounds) and Rui
Hachimura (10 points and nine rebounds) were also top contributors
along with point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (13 points and five
assists).
Perkins scored all of his points in the first half, fueling the
Bulldogs to a 49-28 halftime lead. He made 5 of his 6 attempts from
3-point range in the half.
Gonzaga made 12 of 32 from 3-point range (37.5 percent) after making
52.9 percent (9 of 17) from that range in the first half.
"It was a feeling I can't put into words," Perkins said of his
first-half shooting performance. "I give credit to my teammates for
finding me when I was hot. Without them, those shots aren't
possible."
Mississippi Valley State guard Rashaan Surles had 13 points and
seven rebounds while forward Amos Given had 14 points and center
Terence Traylor added 11.
Perkins' 3-pointer with 3:22 left in the first half capped a 21-3
run that gave Gonzaga a 44-21 lead. Perkins made four shots from
beyond the arc while Mississippi Valley State went 1-for-7 from the
field with four turnovers in that stretch.
Gonzaga built a 21-point lead in the first half despite committing
nine turnovers. The Bulldogs finished with 13.
"We tried to mix things up with our defenses, but they have too many
weapons on offense," Mississippi Valley State coach Andre Payne
said.
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Mississippi Valley State had 12 of its 17 turnovers in the first
half. The Delta Devils were outrebounded 45-34 and they made 42.9
percent (27 of 63) of their shots while making only 16.7 percent (3
of 18) from 3-point range.
Gonzaga made 50.7 percent (36 of 71) of its shots from the field.
The Bulldogs tallied 23 assists.
"They were a little difficult to play against early on because of
their zones, traps and rotations," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of
the Delta Devils. "It was good to see we had 15 assists on 18 made
field goals in the first half and we took better care of the ball in
the second half."
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NOTES: Mississippi Valley State is in the midst of a 14-game road
stretch before playing its first home game Jan. 7. The Delta Devils
already have lopsided losses to Northwestern (94-63 score), West
Virginia (107-66), Michigan State (100-53) and Indiana (85-52). ...
Before Thursday night's game, Gonzaga was led in scoring by seven
different players in six games. The players were G Silas Melson (17
vs. Utah Valley), G Jordan Mathews (17 vs. San Diego State), C
Przemek Karnowski (22 vs. Bryant), Fs Johnathan Williams and Zach
Collins (13 vs. Quinnipiac), G Josh Perkins (18 vs. Florida) and PG
Nigel Williams-Goss (18 vs. Iowa State). ... Mississippi Valley
State senior G Marcus Romain (only Delta Devil scorer averaging in
double figures with 12.7 points a game) missed his sixth consecutive
game with a knee injury.
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