National Basketball Association
Gonzaga 81, Portland 52
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 2, 2013
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
Officials:
# Rick Batsell, # Frank Harvey, # Jeff Kent
Attendance:
6000
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 2 Gonzaga 81, Portland 52: Elias Harris had a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the host Bulldogs past the Pilots and help Gonzaga’s case to be voted No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history.
Kelly Olynyk had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga (29-2, 16-0 WCC) extend its win streak to 12 games. Gary Bell Jr. came off the bench and scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, as the Bulldogs improved to 15-1 at home.
Derrick Rodgers scored 10 points to lead Portland (11-20, 4-12), which fell to 2-11 on the road. Ryan Nicholas, the Pilots’ leading scorer and rebounder, had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The game was tied 9-all when Gonzaga went on a 22-5 run to pull away from Portland, which called its third timeout trailing 31-14 with 8:30 left before halftime. The Bulldogs, who led 46-27 at halftime, shot 31-for-63 from the field to Portland’s 17-for-59.
Gonzaga registered 20 assists, including six by David Stockton and five by Kevin Pangos, to Portland’s eight. The Bulldogs improved to 92-65 in the series, including 44-22 in Spokane, and have won the last 20 meetings.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzaga will be the top seed in the WCC tournament, which begins Wednesday in Las Vegas, and is projected by many to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. … Portland will be the No. 8 seed in the WCC tournament. … Gonzaga won 71-49 at Portland on Jan. 17.
Top Game Performances
Portland |
|
Gonzaga |
Derrick Rodgers 10 |
Scoring |
Elias Harris 20 |
Ryan Nicholas 2 |
Assists |
David Stockton 6 |
Ryan Nicholas 9 |
Rebounds |
Kelly Olynyk 11 |
Thomas van der Mars 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Elias Harris 4 |
Bryce Pressley 2 |
Steals |
Elias Harris 4 |
Korey Thieleke 3 |
Blocks |
Sam Dower 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Portland
|
52 |
28.8 |
8-20 |
10-14 |
8 |
29 |
6 |
5 |
13 |
Gonzaga
|
81 |
49.2 |
8-23 |
11-17 |
20 |
38 |
2 |
10 |
5 |