For the second consecutive year, the Gonzaga Bulldogs came into the NCAA tournament as the number one over all seed. After a championship game lost a year ago, the Zags have their sights set on a return trip. Being the overall number one seed, comes with being hunted, and the Bulldogs are no stranger to that. Coach Mark Few came into the game winning the past twelve first round matchups.
The sixteen seed Georgia State Panthers with a record of 18-11 entered Thursday afternoon’s game firing early. It was a defensive battle throughout the 1st half and the high flying Zags spent much of it trying to crack their inside shell in the paint getting the ball to Drew Timme and letting him work. Jalen Thomas and the Falcons did a great job of sealing the Gonzaga big man from the basket. Timme was just 6-13 from the stripe in the game, and 4-9 in the first half. “I wasn’t hitting my free throws, which is unacceptable,” Timme said. With just ten points in the first half and the Zags not shooting well from the perimeter in the opening half, the Panthers were able to keep Gonzaga within 2 at the half.
Zags aren’t strangers to close games in the opening round and Few knows how to deal with intense situations in the tournament. With a 2 point lead and and 11-minutes to go, Chet Holmgren made a lay-in and was fouled to put the Bulldogs up 5 and starts a 21-0 run for the Zags highlighted by the physical play of Drew Timme. Timme scored 22-points in the 2nd half to lead Gonzaga. Zags were able to control the tempo and play more up pace Gonzaga style game with 58 second half points. Bulldogs were led by Timme with 32 and Holmgren with 19 points and 17 rebounds. The Panthers were led by Corey Allen with 16, but as a team shooting only 33 percent from the field isn’t going to get it done against the top rated team in the nation.
The Zags set their sites on a Saturday evening matchup with the number 9 seed Memphis Tigers who overcame a second half rally against Boise State and former Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice. The Memphis Tigers, coached by former NBA great Penny Hardaway, 8-9 but finished the season winning 14 of their last 16. The Tigers were looking to pounce on the Bulldogs early, but what took place was a heavyweight bout of 2 top teams. The Zag faithful showed up in full force Saturday with 16 out of the 19,000 wearing the red and navy.
Gonzaga took an early 8-4 lead, but that was short lived after a Lester Quinones 3-point basket to pull the tigers within 1. The teams traded blows for much of the first half but Memphis went on a 7-0 run to end the half and took a 38-28 lead into the half. Zags offensive production, just like their opening game was lacking. At halftime, Drew Timme gave an animated speech to the team at the half that really got him and the team going. “No matter what happens, no matter what the result is, go out there with no regrets,” Timme said. After scoring only 4 points in the first half, Timme came out and scored Gonazaga’s first 11 points of the 2nd half and had the GU fans in an absolute frenzy. “It’s just a credit to coach motivating and pushing me,” said Timme following the game. “We all have seen Drew go on rolls like that, and kind of likes to feel his way into these games,” Coach Mark Few said following the game.
The Zags were able to make the game close from that point, and the team fed off of the crowd and Drew’s intensity. With 10 minutes to go, Timme made a shot in the lane that gave Gonzaga the lead. Drew then found Chet Holmgren for the Alley-Oop with 5 minutes to go. Andrew Nembhard followed that up with a three-pointer to put the Zags up 5. Nembhard connected on another three pointer minutes later to put the Zags up 7 with 2:21 remaining. The Tigers closed the lead to 2 after 2 successful Landers Nolley II free throws with 6 seconds to go in the game. The game then rested on Andrew Nembhard who went to the line for 2 free throws. Nembhard made them both to Ice the game and send the Zags to their 7th straight sweet 16 appearance.
“When our backs were against the wall, we responded,” said few. Gonzaga moves on to face the 4th seeded Arkansas Razorbacks out of the SEC on Thursday in San Francisco.
