No. 1 Gonzaga beats No. 5 Texas with Mark Few back at helm
Nov 13, 2021, 10:04 PM | Updated: 11:42 pm
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme scored a career-high 37 points as top-ranked Gonzaga beat No. 5 Texas 86-74 on Saturday night in an early-season showdown.
Gonzaga 86, Texas 74: Box score
Gonzaga coach Mark Few returned to the sidelines after serving a three-game suspension for a DUI, sitting out two exhibition games and the season-opening win over Dixie State.
Rasir Bolton added 16 points for Gonzaga (2-0), which won a school-record 53rd consecutive home game. The Bulldogs’ last home loss was in 2018.
Timmy Allen scored 18 points for Texas (1-1), which was trying to beat a top-ranked team for the first time in program history. Instead, the Longhorns fell to 0-12 against No. 1 teams.
Timme made 15 of 19 shots from the floor to exceed his previous high of 30 points, and added seven rebounds. Anton Watson had 10 points for Gonzaga.
Gonzaga started fast, as Timme had 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting less than five minutes into the game. Gonzaga shot 59% in the first half, while the Longhorns shot just 36% and made nine fewer field goals.
Texas chipped away at the deficit as Gonzaga’s shooting cooled off in the second half. Allen had a pair of baskets during an 8-2 run that cut Gonzaga’s lead to 60-49 with 10 minutes left.
A 3-pointer by Bolton and five straight points by Timme pushed Gonzaga’s lead to 72-53 with 6:47 left. But Texas put together a 13-5 run, including consecutive 3-pointers by Allen and Marcus Carr, to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 77-66.
Gonzaga scored the next seven points for an 84-66 lead with 2:36 left and the Longhorns could not come back.
The Longhorns are the highest-ranked opponent to visit the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004. Gonzaga has a 237-15 all-time record in the building.
The Bulldogs are 4-0 against Texas, with all previous games at neutral sites.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: The Longhorns fell behind early and never made up the deficit. … New coach Chris Beard signed six highly ranked graduate transfers before the season. … Carr, a transfer from Minnesota who scored 11 points, is the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year.
Gonzaga: Gonzaga looked solid in front of a raucous home crowd. … The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 all last season and were undefeated until losing to Baylor in the NCAA championship game. … Timme was the lone unanimous pick to the AP Preseason All-American team.
UP NEXT
Texas: Hosts Northern Colorado in the Abe Lemons Classic on Wednesday.
Gonzaga: Hosts Alcorn State on Monday.
Last time: Strawther scores 17 as No. 1 Zags beat Dixie State 97-63
