Bulldogs rout Broncos 75-60

Norvell shines

SANTA CLARA, Calif, Jan 21, (AP): Mark Few isn’t surprised one bit by how well his Gonzaga Bulldogs have played after losses this season.

It hasn’t happened often — just four times in 21 games. But each time, they have followed up with convincing, if not lopsided, wins.

Zach Norvell Jr scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and No. 13 Gonzaga bounced back from its first conference loss of the season to beat Santa Clara 75-60 on Saturday night.

“That sting that they feel after a loss is a legitimate feeling and it serves as a pretty good motivator,” Few said. “We talk a lot about that stuff. We talk about what our response is going to be and how it needs to show in a game like this.

“It might not seem like a big thing to somebody on the East Coast or whatever, but this was a good response.”

Josh Perkins added 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, Rui Hachimura scored 16 points and Killian Tillie had 12. Johnathan Williams had nine points and eight boards for Gonzaga (17-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference), including his 400th career rebound.

Two days after a 74-71 home loss to Saint Mary’s that ended Gonzaga’s six-game winning streak, the Bulldogs had trouble shaking the pesky Broncos (7-13, 4-4) until Norvell found his stroke after halftime.

Norvell made pair of 3s, a short jumper and a layup in the first 7 ó minutes of the second half, scored on an offensive rebound as part of a 12-0 run, and then made a fast-break onehanded dunk to put the Bulldogs up 75-41.

That improved Gonzaga to 4-0 after losses this season. In those four games, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents by an average of 20 points.