GONZAGA

Timme scores season-high 37, No. 15 Gonzaga beats Montana

Dec 20, 2022, 8:42 PM

Gonzaga Drew Timme...

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) reacts after dunking during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Montana, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga won 85-75. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

(AP Photo/Young Kwak)

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Drew Timme scored a season-high 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and No. 15 Gonzaga beat Montana 85-75 on Tuesday night for its 72nd straight home victory.

Gonzaga 85, Montana 75: Box Score

Gonzaga’s home win streak is tied with UNLV (1974-78) for the ninth-longest in NCAA history. It’s the longest streak since the expansion of the NCAA Tournament in 1985 and the longest since Lamar’s 80-game run from 1978-84.

Texas Tech has the second-longest active home win streak in the nation at 27 games.

Timme started 4 for 9 from the free throw line but went 4 for 4 down the stretch to seal the game after a late Montana rally. The Grizzlies cut a 17-point, second-half deficit to five with 3:06 to play on Josh Bannen’s jumper but couldn’t get any closer.

Gonzaga (10-3) made up for a poor first half from 3-point range by making 40% of its 3-point attempts in the second half to hold off the Grizzlies (6-6).

Ben Gregg and Malachi Smith combined for 20 of Gonzaga’s 22 bench points in the second half to ignite Gonzaga’s offense.

The Zags held a 33-27 advantage in rebounding and turned 12 Montana turnovers into 17 points in the first matchup since a near upset in 2015.

Bannan scored 19 points and Brandon Whitney added 15. Dischon Thomas scored 15 points – all in the second half — to keep the Grizzlies within striking distance before fouling out.

Montana made four of its first five 3-pointers to jump on Gonzaga early but finished the last 6:20 of the first half without a field goal. Gonzaga closed on a 13-3 run to erase an early eight-point Grizzlies lead.

BIG PICTURE:

Gonzaga: The win was the 100th of Timme’s career and his overall record sits at 100-10. The Zags begin conference play against Pepperdine on Dec. 31 after wrapping up a grueling non-conference schedule that included five opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.

Montana: The Grizzlies had their three-game winning streak and their road record fell to 1-5 on the season. Montana was picked third in the preseason Big Sky coaches’ poll and welcomes Eastern Washington to open conference play on Dec. 29.

UP NEXT:

Montana: Home against Eastern Washington

Gonzaga: Hosts Eastern Oregon.

Timme leads No. 15 Gonzaga over No. 4 Alabama, 100-90

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Timme scores season-high 37, No. 15 Gonzaga beats Montana