Gonzaga Basketball: Win over BYU sets Zags up for success in WCC tournament

Gonzaga basketball is starting to heat up with an important win over BYU.

This has been a really interesting season for Gonzaga basketball. They have lost far more games than anyone expected and injuries have forced the team to adjust on the fly.

But on Saturday, Gonzaga was able to pick up their first big win in months.

At the beginning of the season, many would have thought this would have been a fairly easy game. But of course, BYU is tough in Provo and the Zags haven’t been playing up to par.

BYU beat Gonzaga at home this season but Gonzaga was able to get revenge with a 71-68 win.

Last season, BYU came to Spokane and handed the Bulldogs a home loss on senior night. It was an emotional game that ultimately brought the surging Zags back down to earth. This season Gonzaga was hoping to return the favor and spoil BYU’s senior night and that is exactly what happened.

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Kyle Collinsworth had a productive game. He finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block. The issue is that BYU relies on him to score more points. Due to early foul trouble, he was not able to get into a rhythm and he finished the game going 4-of-14 from the floor.

Chase Fischer had a game high 18 points along with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He did not have issues with foul trouble like the rest of the team. Clutch three point shooter Nick Emery fouled out of the game and was not able to take the last shot of the game, which could have been tied with a made three.

BYU relies heavily on their three point shooting. They went 10-of-32 from behind the arc. Hitting 10 threes is a nice boost, but this percentage says more about the tough Gonzaga defense. BYU was forced to take difficult shots from deep and therefore had a pretty low shooting percentage.

Gonzaga was led by their two star players Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer. Sabonis had 15 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks. He also had five turnovers and eventually fouled out. If he could cut down on these turnovers, he would be able to add some more points, but that can be difficult when opposing teams are double and triple teaming him.

Kyle Wiltjer is starting to get back to his top form. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and a block. He went 7-of-8 from the free throw line, which was a huge boost for the Zags. Gonzaga needs continued production from these two to be successful.

This win along with the St. Mary’s win over San Francisco sets up an interesting WCC tournament. St. Mary’s will have the one seed, Gonzaga will have the two, and BYU will have the three. This means that Gonzaga and BYU will likely play each other again and the winner will likely face St. Mary’s for the championship.

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The WCC tournament is going to be filled with exciting play and much like the regular season, there will be plenty of uncertainty, especially with the Bulldogs.