Holmgren helps No. 2 Gonzaga cruise past San Diego, 92-62

Published Feb. 3, 2022 11:21 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 2 Gonzaga past San Diego 92-62 on Thursday night for its 11th straight victory.

Drew Timme added 13 points and eight rebounds as six Bulldogs scored in double figures. Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and seven assists.

Gonzaga (18-2, 7-0 West Coast Conference) has won its last 25 league games by double digits — and by an average of more than 24 points.

Jace Townsend scored 13 points off the bench for the Toreros.

San Diego (13-10, 6-4), which entered third in the WCC standings, hung around for the first seven minutes before fading. The Toreros looked sharp early and tied the game 12-all on a 3-pointer. But the Zags outscored them 26-12 the rest of the half to take a 38-24 lead into the break.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Toreros couldn’t chip away at the deficit against the deeper Bulldogs. Every time USD made a mini-run, Gonzaga answered with a timely 3-pointer, fast break or slashing bucket in the lane to stunt USD's momentum.

The 7-foot Holmgren buried a 3 from the top of the key with 7:05 left to give Gonzaga a 75-50 advantage. The star freshman also had four blocks and his height gave the Toreros problems inside.

The Bulldogs shot 57% from the field compared to 35% for USD.

Gonzaga, to no surprise, had a huge advantage in points in the paint (48-22) and rebounds (45-21).

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: Has won 28 consecutive conference games and nine straight true road games, both the longest active streaks of their kind in the nation. The Bulldogs have won 70 of their last 74 games overall.

San Diego: It was the 100th meeting between the schools. Gonzaga holds a 78-22 record, including 15 straight wins. The last victory by the Toreros over the Bulldogs was 69-66 in San Diego on Feb. 22, 2014.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga: Plays at BYU on Saturday night.

San Diego: Will host Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon.

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