Bulldogs use big 2nd half to throttle Dons
USF changed the venue, but the result against Gonzaga was painfully the same for the Dons and their fans.
On Thursday night in front of 6,480 at Chase Center — not on the Hilltop — the 23rd-ranked Zags overpowered USF at the start of the second half and cruised to an 8668 victory. That’s 29 consecutive wins for Gonzaga against the Dons.
USF hasn’t beaten the Zags since a 66-65 decision on the Hilltop on Feb. 18, 2012.
The Zags (23-6, 13-2 WCC) led by one at the break, then broke open the game in the first four minutes of the second half. Gonzaga scored the half’s first 13 points: Nolan Hickman buried a jumper, Graham Ike connected on a hook shot, Hickman drained a 3 from the right corner, Anton Watson hit two foul shots, then Ike recorded consecutive inside buckets.
Gonzaga had scored the final four points of the first half, so that meant the Zags had gone on a 17-0 blitz.
“If you want to be the program that I know we can be,” USF head coach Chris Gerlufsen said, “you can’t pick and choose when you decide that things matter or possessions matter. It’s got to be an all-the-time thing.”
And after Ryan Beasley stopped that Gonzaga run with a trey, the Zags responded by scoring the next 11 points. That made it 59-37, Gonzaga, with 12:49 left.
Gonzaga hit 13 of its first 16 shots in the second half and finished 18for-24 after halftime.
A transfer from Wyoming, Ike dominated the proceedings near the bucket. En route to scoring a game-high 26 points, the 6-foot-9 lefthander showed off some excellent post moves. Ike went 9-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-8 at the line before fouling out with 3:41 left.
Ike has scored at least 20 points in six straight games.
Guard Malik Thomas led the Dons (22-8, 11-4) with 23 points. Forward Jonathan Mogbo put together his 15th doubledouble of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
USF beat Minnesota 76-58 at Chase on Nov. 26. Gerlufsen said he and his players appreciated the opportunity to play twice in one season at the Warriors’ home.
“That had a really bigtime feel to it, and it was fun to be a part of that,” Gerlufsen said, adding that he “didn’t like the result. The first half was fun to be a part of it.”
About the only good news for USF on Thursday night was that Santa Clara fell 80-75 in overtime at Portland. The Broncos’ loss guaranteed the Dons a third-place finish. USF meets Santa Clara at the Leavey Center on Saturday.
USF will debut in the conference tournament in the quarterfinals. If it wins that game in Las Vegas on March 9, it would face the Zags again in the semifinals on March 11.