Drew Tim scored a career-high 38 points and No. 6 Gonzaga returned to the winning streak with a 99-90 road win against the Pacific on Saturday.
After a Loyola Marymount upset at home, the Zags (17-5, WCC 6-1) bounced back with a 58.1% field goal percentage in a frontcourt dominated game.
Anton Watson recorded his third double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds with four assists and two blocks. Russell Bolton also had 16 points and Julian Strother had 15 points and five rebounds.
For the Tigers (10-12, WCC 3-4), they have lost four in their last five games after starting 3-1 in conference play. Kieran Boone and Jordan Ivey Curry each scored 15 points for a combined bench score of 48.
After a first-half round-trip, a dominant run from Tim helped the Zags find momentum in the second half. The two-time All-American had fingerprints throughout a 14-2 run, including the final 12 points to make the ballgame 61-49.
Tim and Watson were too much for the Tigers to handle. It was an expected physical fight, but Zag slammed Pacific into the board and rebounded 32-22.
An early three-point shot was paramount as the Tigers built a seven-point advantage after a 5-for-5 start from the deep. Zags, on the other hand, missed six of his first seven attempts from the Deep.
Mark Few’s team turned the script upside down by going 8-0 at timeout.
The Pacific continued to fire in an 8-for-13 tone from deep over the first half arc, nearly matching their season average of 8.7 3-pointers made per game.
Zag found a way to rely on the frontcourt to score rather than go into the shootout. Tim ended the first half with a game-high 14 points, while Watson scored 10.
A fade out for Bolton at the buzzer sent the 47-47 ballgame heading into the break. Although he had 4 in 14 at bats, Zags dominated the inside with his 32 and the Tigers scored his 14.
The offense clicked in the second half, shooting 70% from the field and scoring 58 points from the paint.
Gonzaga is back in action next Saturday in Portland (11-11, 3-4 WCC). Zags made his 3-pointer on his 17th in Spokane on his January 14th, defeating the Pilots by his 115-75.