No. 14 Gonzaga dispatches San Diego State

[November 15, 2016]  While Gonzaga was active with its 2-3 zone defense, San Diego State played frantically while trying to find an answer in a 69-48 loss to the 14th-ranked Bulldogs on Monday night in Spokane, Wash.

"Everything we did was too fast," said San Diego State coach Steve Fisher, whose team shot only 28.6 percent from the field. "It looked like we were trying to score 10 points in one possession. We helped do ourselves in."

Gonzaga senior guard Jordan Mathews had 17 points, and true freshman forward Zach Collins came off the bench to score 15.

Mathews, a graduate transfer from Cal, made 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range. Collins had eight rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals. Fellow freshman reserve forward Killian Tillie had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss added 10 points and eight rebounds for Gonzaga (2-0).

"We showed good balance on offense, and our defense was very active," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Our zone was active in that our guys always found where their shooters were. It was a great team win when you look at what we did on both ends."

San Diego State made only 23.8 percent (5 of 21) of its shots from 3-point range against the 2-3 zone. The Aztecs (1-1) had only two players score in double figures -- guards Jeremy Hemsley and Trey Kell with 14 points each, and that duo combined to go 2 of 11 from beyond the arc.

After the game was scoreless for almost the first four minutes, Gonzaga did not warm up until Collins made a jumper with 14:23 left in the half to cut San Diego State's lead to 6-4. Before that shot, Gonzaga started 1 of 11 from the field.

The Bulldogs went on a 19-4 run to take a 23-10 lead with 8:42 left in the half. Consecutive 3-pointers by Mathews in the second half kept the Bulldogs ahead by double digits, 42-29, with 17:18 left.

"Jordan can hit the open shots, and you saw tonight he was able to knock some down with people flying at him," Few said. "He has a true gift shooting the ball, but he also works hard on his game. He really gave us the lift we needed with his shooting."

Gonzaga outscored the Aztecs 19-2 to take control of the game with a 61-31 lead with 6:31 remaining. In that stretch, San Diego State went 0 for 11 from the field (0 for 4 from 3-point range) with five turnovers.

The Aztecs failed to continue an impressive stretch on the road. They had won seven consecutive games on the road and in neutral games against West Coast Conference opponents before the defeat. They are 9-2 in their past 11 road games dating to last season.

NOTES: Six new players in the Gonzaga lineup combined for 55 points and 34 rebounds in the Zags' regular-season-opening 92-69 win over Utah Valley last week. G Jordan Mathews and G Nigel Williams-Goss totaled 30 of those points, going a combined 6 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc. ... Entering the game Monday, the Aztecs owned the third-best road winning percentage in the country since the start of the 2010-11 season at .710 (49-20). The Zags owned the 10th-best home winning percentage since that season (.898, 88-10). ... The game featured two players who were with Pac-12 teams last season: Mathews (transfer from Cal) for Gonzaga and C Valentine Izundu (transfer from Washington State) for San Diego State. Izundu finished with two points and five rebounds.

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