Timme’s late spark lifts No. 1 Gonzaga past Pacific 76-58

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) – Drew Timme scored a season-high 21 points after a sluggish start and No. 1 Gonzaga overcame a sloppy performance to beat Pacific 76-58 on Thursday night.

Gonzaga 76, Pacific 58: Box Score

The Bulldogs (18-0, 9-0 West Coast Conference) trailed at halftime for only the second time this season and didn’t pull away until midway through the second half, extending the nation’s longest active winning streak to 22 games dating to 2019-20.

WCC leading scorer Corey Kispert had an off night. He was held to two points in the first half and spent much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble, but he scored 11 points in a two-minute burst and finished with 14.

Timme, the second-leading scorer in the conference behind his teammate, had eight points as part of a 15-2 run that gave the Bulldogs breathing room.

Jalen Suggs had 19 points, including an emphatic dunk that made it 70-54, and nine rebounds.

.@corey_kispert ❌@JalenSuggs2020 🎯@joel_ayayi 💥@ZagMBB | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/7mGo4Soq1h

— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) February 5, 2021

Dannis Jenkins scored 13 points for Pacific (5-5, 2-4).

The Tigers had designs on an upset for much of the night before fading down the stretch, and Pacific’s frustrations boiled over following Kispert’s second straight 3-pointer in the second half. Coach Damon Stoudamire picked up a technical and had to be pulled away from referees.

The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 25 but was moved forward three weeks after both teams had multiple games canceled or postponed this week due to COVID-19 issues. The Zags had home games against Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara wiped out while the Tigers had a pair of games against San Diego delayed.

Gonzaga was held to a season-low 31 points in the first half. When the two teams played in Spokane on Jan. 23, Gonzaga led by 31 at halftime on the way to its most lopsided win of the season, 95-49.

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs have won 15 consecutive games by double digits, the longest streak by a No. 1 team since UNLV ran off 19 in a row in 1990-91. That said, this one won’t make coach Mark Few’s list of memorable wins. The Zags were out of rhythm for most of the game.

Pacific: The Tigers fell to 1-19 against the Bulldogs but this was by far one of their best efforts. Stoudamire’s team showed a lot of grit and gave Gonzaga its biggest scare of the season.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga: Plays at BYU on Monday night. The Bulldogs beat BYU 86-69 on Jan. 7 in Utah.

Pacific: After having a pair of games against San Diego wiped out due to coronavirus issues, the Tigers will play at Loyola Marymount on Feb. 13. Pacific has won three straight in the series.