Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Gonzaga 76, Southeastern Louisiana 57
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
Officials: # Jimmy Casas, # Michael Greenspan, # Tommy Nunez Jr.
Attendance: 6000


No. 8 Gonzaga 76, Southeastern Louisiana 57: Kyle Wiltjer went 8-of-10 from the field and finished with 20 points as the host Bulldogs overcame a surprising halftime deficit to cruise past the Lions.

Freshman Domantas Sabonis chipped in 14 points for Gonzaga (7-0), which used a 30-4 surge at the start of the second half to pull away. Kevin Pangos scored all 12 of his points in the first half while Przemek Karnowski posted eight points and nine rebounds as the Bulldogs ran their winning streak at home to 30 games.

Joshua Filmore had 14 points while Zay Jackson and Devonte Upson tallied 12 points for Southeastern Louisiana (2-6), which capped a stretch in which it played six games in 11 days with a 2-4 mark. The Lions shot 48.9 percent from the floor – the highest mark by a Gonzaga opponent and only the second time this season in which the Bulldogs allowed a team to shoot better than 36.7 percent.

Jackson scored seven points over a 2 1/2-minute span early as Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to 19-11 lead midway through the first half before two first-half 3-pointers from Pangos ignited a 17-8 surge that put Gonzaga briefly in front. The Lions countered with six straight points and settled for a one-point halftime lead thanks to 51.9-percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes against the nation’s 13th-ranked field-goal percentage defense.

The Bulldogs came out of the break on fire, connecting on seven of their first nine shots while Southeastern Louisiana went scoreless for a span of 9:56 before Daniel Grieves hit a pair of free throws that stopped Gonzaga’s run of 21 unanswered points. The Lions connected on six of their final eight field-goal attempts, but it was much too late as the Bulldogs did not allow the lead to slip past 16.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzaga had set the McCarthey Athletic Center’s record for largest margin of victory in its previous two home games, defeating Saint Joseph’s by 52 on Nov. 19 before pounding St. Thomas Aquinas by 54 three days later. … Southeastern Louisiana committed seven turnovers and missed seven shots during its long scoring drought. … With his two first-half 3-pointers, Pangos passed Matt Santangelo (252) and moved into sole possession of third place on Gonzaga’s all-time list.

Top Game Performances
 
Southeastern Louisiana   Gonzaga
Joshua Filmore 14 Scoring Kyle Wiltjer 20
Andrew Guillory 3 Assists Kyle Dranginis 3
Devonte Upson 8 Rebounds Przemek Karnowski 9
Andrew Guillory 4 Free Throws Made Kevin Pangos 2
Joshua Filmore 1 Steals Silas Melson 2
N/A Blocks Kyle Dranginis 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Southeastern Louisiana 57 48.9 5-15 8-10 10 18 0 2 13
Gonzaga 76 52.6 9-24 7-7 18 29 2 5 7