Holmgren, Watson lead No. 4 Gonzaga past Northern Arizona

Published Dec. 20, 2021 11:28 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 20 points and nine rebounds, Anton Watson scored 17 and No. 4 Gonzaga beat Northern Arizona 95-49 on Monday night to extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 58 games.

Drew Timme added 14 points for Gonzaga (10-2), which was coming off a victory over No. 25 Texas Tech in Phoenix last weekend. The Bulldogs opened the season as the nation's top-ranked team.

Jalen Cone scored 19 points for Northern Arizona (4-8), which has lost six of seven. The Lumberjacks have never beaten a ranked opponent and were undone in this one by 32% shooting and 20 turnovers.

Gonzaga shot 55% and committed only five turnovers.

Holmgren, a freshman considered the nation's top recruit this year, sank all three of his 3-point attempts in the first five minutes as Gonzaga took a 16-9 lead. Cone completed a four-point play to pull the Lumberjacks to 16-15.

But the Zags replied with a 15-5 spurt to build a 31-20 lead. Gonzaga added a 15-2 run late in the first to carry a 48-30 advantage into halftime.

Holmgren had 14 points in the first half, while Timme and Watson scored 10 each.

Cone, a transfer from Virginia Tech, led all scorers in the first half with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. But he was shut down in the second half.

The Zags made their first four shots after halftime to open a 59-32 bulge.

Hunter Sallis hit a 3 and a pair of free throws during a 12-0 run that put the Bulldogs up 77-44 with less than 10 minutes left. The Lumberjacks did not challenge again.

BIG PICTURE

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks were seeking their first win over the Zags since 1979, and first-ever road win at Gonzaga after 13 losses ... Cone leads the Lumberjacks with an average of 17.6 points per game.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs have played five ranked teams, most in Division I, and went 3-2 against them. The Lumberjacks didn't offer that kind of challenge. ... Gonzaga has appeared in 102 consecutive AP Top 25 polls, by far the longest current streak in the nation. Villanova is second at 46. ... Bulldogs coach Mark Few is 43-1 against Big Sky Conference foes.

UP NEXT

Northern Arizona hosts Idaho on Dec. 30.

Gonzaga hosts North Alabama on Dec. 28 in its final non-conference game before opening West Coast Conference play.

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