By CURRAN MCCAULEY
The West Coast Conference slate continued last week with some marquee match-ups, including Gonzaga and Arizona doing battle in Spokane and San Diego traveling downtown for a match-up with San Diego State at PETCO Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. Elsewhere, Saint Mary’s made its case for a national ranking, and BYU split its weekend slate, including a tense match-up in the Holy War with Utah. Let’s take a look at five main takeaways from the week of action as we head into the penultimate full week of non-conference play.
1. Let’s Take This Inside Next Time – San Diego State and San Diego squared off at PETCO Park on Sunday in the culmination of the Bill Walton Basketball Festival. The game, which was plagued by reports of understaffing and long lines for admission and concessions, was largely a dud on the court as well as both teams struggled to find consistency in unfamiliar settings . Luckily for the Toreros, they pulled off the upset over the struggling Aztecs. Duda Sanadze and Olin Carter III each scored in double figures for USD in the 53-48 win. San Diego shot 33 percent from the field while the Aztecs managed just 31 percent. San Diego returns to the indoors for a Wednesday night contest with Denver.
2. For Gonzaga, Just Enjoy The Ride – No. 13 Gonzaga dropped a 68-63 decision to No. 19 Arizona at home, as the Wildcats used a second half rally to send the ‘Zags to their first non-conference home loss since 2012 (Illinois). Przemek Karnowski sat out the contest with back spasms, so Kyle Wiltjer (33 pts, 9 rebounds) and Domantas Sabonis (18 points, 16 rebounds) dominated the offensive production, scoring the Bulldogs’ first 27 points. In a tough non-conference test, Gonzaga again was defeated by a team from a major conference. It’s not the time to worry in Spokane, however, as GU proved that it can hang with another Final Four contender in Arizona. The early season adversity will be a net positive as the squad readies for high expectations in the WCC. Next up for the ‘Zags? Montana visits on Thursday before a nationally televised showdown with UCLA, fresh off a win over No. 1 Kentucky, on Saturday night.
3. Saint Mary’s Deserves Your Respect – Saint Mary’s faced a tough test on Sunday in UC Irvine and its imposing center Mamadou Ndiaye, who checks-in at 7-foot-6. The Gaels remained undefeated at 6-0, using its nation’s-best shooting corps, connecting on better than 50 percent for the fifth straight game, including 53 percent from beyond the three-point line. Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon both scored in double-figures with Rahon chipping in a team-best nine assists. Dane Pineau (14 pts, 8 rebs) and Kyle Clark (10 points) also scored in double figures for SMC, who now moves on to an East Bay showdown at California on Saturday afternoon.
4. BYU Drops Rough Holy War Matchup, – BYU fell to Utah on Wednesday night by 83-75 tally, with Chase Fischer leading the way or the Cougars with 26 points, draining all of them in the second half. Kyle Collinsworth, Kyle Davis and freshman Nick Emery all had double-digit scoring efforts, but Utah lead for all but 47 seconds, dominating the first half and holding on late despite solid shooting from BYU. Late in the contest after a tussle under the basket, Emery threw a punch, earning a flagrant 2 and an ejection from the game. The Utah crowd was loud and intense all contest, responding to Emery’s sucker-punch with reactions that led to a fan-related bench technical issued to the Utes in the waning minutes. Fischer returned with 21 points in a win over another in-state foe, Weber State, on Saturday. With the “Punch Heard Around Desert” in the rear-view, BYU continues the Utah rivalries with a Wednesday night contest in Provo against Utah State.
5. Inland Northwest Teams Unkind To Dons – Hosting Eastern Washington on Tuesday, the Dons dropped an 81-77 decision to the visiting Eagles, as 14 three-pointers stalled any hope of a comeback. Devin Watson scored a game-high 25 while Don’t’e Reynolds posted a double-double, but EWU held USF to just 20 percent from beyond the arc in the win. Big Sky frontrunners Montana hosted San Francisco on Friday, dominating every part of the contest in an 82-50 triumph. San Francisco shot just .309 from the field and turned the ball over 17 times. The Dons will look to regroup as Cal State Northridge comes to the Hilltop on Monday night.
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