2017 NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga pulls away from Jackrabbits to move on

The Gonzaga Bulldogs overcame a rough shooting game to pull away from South Dakota State to reach the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs faced a tough test early but got themselves together quickly as they advanced on to the second round of the West region by defeating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 66-46, on Thursday afternoon in Salt Lake City.

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Gonzaga won easily by double-digits, despite a less than stellar game offensively.

They started the game shooting 7-of-20 and went into halftime 9-of-29 from the field, including 2-of-14 from three.

Because of the poor shooting, the Bulldogs trailed for most of the first half and didn’t take the lead until the final minute and a half until the break. Gonzaga went into the halftime with a 26-22 lead and would never relinquish it thanks to their effort defensively.

Jordan Mathews led Gonzaga with 16 points while Przemek Karnowski, Josh Perkins, and Zach Collins each scored 10.

The Bulldogs kept South Dakota State forward Mike Daum in check, holding the second leading scorer in the nation to 17 points. Daum was 7-of-16 for the game as the Jackrabbits were held to 31 percent shooting.

Daum came into the first round averaging 25.3 points per game. The 17 points for the Daum were the fewest he’s scored since Feb. 1.

It’s easy to write this game off for the Bulldogs. It’s an early game with an 11 a.m. start in Salt Lake City. Those early games can catch you off guard if you’re not careful.

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The defense picked up the slack even with the offense shooting 39 percent from the field for the game. That might work in the first round, but Gonzaga will need to step it up offensively as they get into the later rounds. For now, Gonzaga will wait and see who they play next. They’ll face the winner of Northwestern-Vanderbilt on Saturday.