SPOKANE, Wash. - Santa Clara was led by Niyi Harrison and Marc Trasolini's 13 points a piece as No. 15/18 Gonzaga defeated the Broncos 88-51 on ESPN2. Santa Clara plays its final WCC regular season game of the year at Portland on Sat., Feb. 26 at 8 pm on COMCAST. Santa Clara is 11-19 and 3-10 in the WCC. No. 15/18 Gonzaga is 23-5 and 11-2 in the WCC.
Santa Clara shot 34 percent, including 28.6 percent beyond the arc. The Broncos collected 28 rebounds, five steals and two steals with 15 turnovers. Gonzaga shot 57.4 percent, including 41.7 percent beyond the arc. The Zags collected 43 rebounds, eight steals and eight blocks with 10 turnovers. SCU hit the free throw line 25 times, hitting 13 (52.0 percent). The Zags hit the free throw line 26 times, making 13 (50.0 percent).
Individually Santa Clara was led by Harrison and Trasolini, who both scored 13 points. Harison added a team-high five rebounds. Robert Smith was held scoreless. Steven Gray led Gonzaga with 26 points and Cousy semi-finalist Matt Bouldin only scored seven.
In the first half the Zags scored the first five points before Michael Santos put on in under the basket at 17:40. Steven Gray hit two threes to put the Zags up 9-6 at 16:26. At the first media, at 15:26, the Zags led 11-6. Ben Dowdell hit a free throw at 15:26 to make it 11-7 Zags.
Gonzaga went on a 9-0 run before Chris Cunningham laid one in at 12: A free throw by Harrison was followed by a Zags basket.
Cunningham missed both free throws at 4:18. Harrison blocked a Harris shot to give him 21 blocks in his rookie campaign, good for No. 5 on the SCU freshman list, just four from No. 4 Jens Gordon (1985-86) with 25.
The Zags went to the locker-room at halftime up 41-15. Cunningham and Marc Trasolini both had four points to lead the Broncos. Gray had 19 points for Gonzaga. Santa Clara was 3 of 10 from the free throw line and 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. SCU shot 24.0 percent in the first half to Gonzaga's own 47.1 percent, including hitting 42.9 percent of its shots from beyond the arc and 6 of 9 from the free throw line. The 15 points by Santa Clara were the fewest in the first half this season.
In the second half, Sacre opened the second half by bricking two free throws. Niyi Harrison dunked his first basket of the night at 15:43. Harrison scored his second straight basket at 14:44. Harrison scored and then Trasolini drove into the lane for two. Phillip Bach crushed a three at 7:42. Trasolini then hit two free throws at 7:02 and then he nailed his first three of the night to give himself 11 points on the night.
Harrison hit one under the basket to hit double figures for the ninth time this season.
Trasolini was fouled hard and hit both free throws at 4:51. Cowels drained a three at 4:04 as the Broncos kept playing hard on the offensive end.
Bach hit his second three of the night from the top of the key to give himself a career-high six points at 3:27. Cunningham hit two free throws at 2:13 and then a basket at 1:31 to give himself a career-high eight points on the night.
