MBB Aims for Best Start in Program History
12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2016
#7/7 Gonzaga (11-0) vs. South Dakota (9-5)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21, 2016 | 6 PM | SPOKANE | MCCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: KHQ/ROOT Sports
RADIO: Gonzaga IMG Radio Network(Tunein app, Sirius - Channel 83)
LIVE VIDEO: WatchESPN (Out of Region)
LIVE STATS:
TELEVISION: KHQ/ROOT Sports
RADIO: Gonzaga IMG Radio Network(Tunein app, Sirius - Channel 83)
LIVE VIDEO: WatchESPN (Out of Region)
LIVE STATS:
ABOUT THE SERIES
- This is the third all-time meeting between Gonzaga and South Dakota.
- The Zags won the last meeting, 96-58, in the McCarthey Athletic Center on Nov. 18, 2012.
- Przemek Karnowski scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half for the then-ranked No. 19 Bulldogs.
- GU dominated the glass, 58-24, behind Elias Harris' 18 rebounds. The Zags were also 55 percent from the field.
- Gonzaga also won the first meeting, 79-60, in Spokane on Dec. 13, 1968.
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time versus current members from the Summit League, including the latest, an 86-76 victory over North Dakota State in first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Seattle.
- This is the third all-time meeting between Gonzaga and South Dakota.
- The Zags won the last meeting, 96-58, in the McCarthey Athletic Center on Nov. 18, 2012.
- Przemek Karnowski scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half for the then-ranked No. 19 Bulldogs.
- GU dominated the glass, 58-24, behind Elias Harris' 18 rebounds. The Zags were also 55 percent from the field.
- Gonzaga also won the first meeting, 79-60, in Spokane on Dec. 13, 1968.
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time versus current members from the Summit League, including the latest, an 86-76 victory over North Dakota State in first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Seattle.
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA
- The Coyotes roll into Spokane off of an 80-68 win at Montana State Sunday.
- South Dakota scored 20 unanswered points during a 25-3 run throughout the middle of the second half.
- Matt Mooney scored 18 of his career-high 28 points in the second half.
- The Coyotes had trailed nearly the entire game when faced with their largest deficit at 54-44 with 13 minutes to go. The USD defense then held Montana State without a field goal for nine minutes.
- South Dakota shot 71 percent in the second half (17-24) and a season-best 55 percent for the game (27-49).
- Mooney (14.7 ppg) leads four Coyotes that average double-digit scoring each game.
- Tyler Flack (13.3 ppg) is grabbing a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game. Trey Dickerson has a team-best 46 total assists.
- Flack had his 16-game streak of scoring in double figures snapped with six points versus Montana State Sunday.
- Dickerson and Trey Burch-Manning are both averaging 10.1 points per contest.
- Eight different Coyotes have led the team in scoring.
- South Dakota is off to its best start at the Division I level (since 2008).
THE HOT START
- Gonzaga is one win away from the best start in program history. The 1944 Zags started 11-0, before finishing 21-2.
- This is the first time that the Zags have started the season 11-0 since joining the NCAA in 1958.
- The previous best start was in 2012-13, when the Bulldogs started the season 9-0 before falling to Illinois.
STAYING IN FRONT
- The Zags have not spent a lot of time trailing their opponent through the first 11 games.
- Gonzaga has led for the entirety of five of its 11 games so far this season.
- The Bulldogs have trailed in the second half only once this season against Florida.
- GU has trailed for only 33 minutes and six seconds, out of 440 total minutes, about 13 percent of the season.
- Excluding Florida's 27:28 lead over the Zags, Gonzaga has played behind a total of five minutes and 38 seconds this season.
- The Bulldogs have trailed only once in the second half this season, the latest with 9:49 left in the Florida game.
- Gonzaga went 117 minutes without trailing between the Mississippi Valley State and Akron games.
- There's been a total of nine lead changes and 10 ties for GU this season.
ZAGS CLIMB TO SEVENTH
- Gonzaga moved up to No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches' polls Monday.
- The Zags are at their highest ranking in the AP poll since finishing the 2014-15 season at No. 7.
- GU opened this season at No. 14 in the preseason poll.
THREE-FENSE
- Gonzaga is limiting opponents to 27.4 percent shooting from behind-the-arc, which ranks sixth in the country.
- Over the past five games, Zag opponents are 24-of-100 (24 percent) from three-point range.
- Washington's 5-of-20 (25 percent) three-point shooting was the best outing for a GU opponent over the last four games.
- Bryant (7-of-15, 46.7 percent) has had the best three-point outing by percentage against the Bulldogs this season, while Utah Valley's nine made three-pointers are the most by a Gonzaga opponent this season.
- Arizona was 1-of-8 from three-point range against GU, and Florida was 2-of-19.
- Tennessee is shooting 34.1 percent from behind-the-perimeter, making 6.4 threes per game.
ZAGS WITH DEFENSIVE SWAG
- Gonzaga ranks sixth in the country holding opponents to 36.1 percent shooting from the field so far this season.
- The Bulldogs held Akron to 26.7 percent (16-of-60) from the field. The Zips entered the game at 49 percent from the field.
- It was Akron's lowest field goal percentage in the game since shooting 25 percent (14-of-56) versus Dayton on Dec. 6, 2008.
MORE HIGH NATIONAL RANKINGS
- GU is pulling down 29.64 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 14th in the country.
- The Zags are 18th in the nation beating opponents by an average of 18.7 points.
- Gonzaga ranks second in the conference in scoring offense (83.0, 36th in NCAA) and scoring defense (64.3, 47th in NCAA).
- The Bulldogs are 26th in the nation in total rebounds per game (41.0).
- Gonzaga tops the WCC in field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and scoring margin.
OUT OF THE GATES
- Gonzaga has got off to great starts in recent games, jumping out to leads early in some recent victories.
- The Zags have outscored their opponent, 249-156, an average of 41.5-26.0, in the first half over the last six games.
- GU has shot 52.3 percent in the first half over the past six games, while opponents shot 30.5 percent.
- In the same span, from three-point range, the Bulldogs are 50 percent (35-of-70), and opponents are 17.9 percent (10-of-56).
- Gonzaga has 57 assists on its 92 made field goals in the first half over the past six games, opponents have 18 assists.
HOME SWEET HOME
- The Zags have dominated the six opponents they have faced inside the McCarthey Athletic Center so far this season.
- Gonzaga is averaging a 88-61 victory over its opponent through the first six home games.
- The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, 250-158 (41.7-26.3), in the first half over the same six-game span.
- GU is shooting 48.9 percent from the field and holding its opposition to 34.5 percent in the six home games.
- In their six home games so far this season, the Zags have trailed for a total of five minutes and 14 seconds.
DOWN TO SIX ...
- Gonzaga is one of just six teams that remain unbeaten this season in NCAA Div. I.
- The Zags are one of three teams on the West Coast that are still undefeated (USC 10-0 and UCLA 12-0).
- GU's 11-game win streak is tied for third in the country, behind Villanova's 17 straight victories and UCLA's 12.
- All six teams play before Thursday this week.
Players Mentioned
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