Gonzaga shows they are top dog

In early December, Gonzaga paused all activities because of the coronavirus. The top-ranked Bulldogs had five games canceled due to the shutdown, and hadn’t played a game since Dec. 2 before Saturday’s showdown with No. 3 Iowa.

Despite the layoff, Gonzaga showed little rust in a 99-88 victory over Iowa. That seemed especially true for freshman Jalen Suggs, above, who scored 18 of his career-high 27 points in the first half to lead the Bulldogs.

Suggs entered the game against Iowa averaging 13.3 points per game. He blew by that midway through the first half and finished 8 for 17 from the floor and was 7 for 10 from the 3-point line after going just 2 for 6 from beyond the arc on Gonzaga’s first three games. His previous career high was 24 against Kansas on Nov. 26.

“This past week-and-a-half, I spent a lot of time in the gym by myself, just late at night spending time getting shots up under the gun,” Suggs said. “Coming into this weekend, I really felt like my jump shot improved and I felt really comfortable with it. I was telling everybody that this was a shooter’s gym. It feels really good in here and I just came out today really confident.”

Drew Timme added 15 points and Joel Ayai added 11 points and grabbed a careerhigh 18 rebounds for Gonzaga (4-0). Luka Garza led Iowa (6-1) with 30 points and 10 rebounds on 13 of 18 shooting. Joe Wieskamp added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes.”

Gonzaga used a 24-10 run to open things up in the first half. Suggs scored 10 points during the run and Gonzaga continued to pour it on in the first half, building the lead to as many as 18 on a Suggs 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play. The Bulldogs shot 58% from the floor in the first half.

While Gonzaga was cruising, Iowa went cold from the field. The Hawkeyes went nearly five minutes without a field goal in the first half.

— Associated Press