Strawther, Timme rally No. 16 Gonzaga to 88-81 win over BYU
Feb 11, 2023, 10:04 PM
Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther celebrates his basket against BYU on Feb. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
(AP Photo/Young Kwak)
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Julian Strawther scored 26 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining, and No. 16 Gonzaga rallied to beat BYU 88-81 on Saturday night.
Gonzaga 88, BYU 81: Box Score
Drew Timme added 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-5, 10-2 West Coast Conference).
First points of the game 💪@drewtimme2 pic.twitter.com/7GO7SuhJax
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) February 12, 2023
After trailing 71-68 with 4:09 to play, the Bulldogs made 3s on three straight possessions to climb past the Cougars. Strawther knocked down back-to-back 3s before finding Nasir Bolton for another one to put Gonzaga ahead 77-73 with 2:21 left.
Gonzaga had shot just 3 of 14 behind the arc before unleashing the flurry of 3s in the final few minutes that gave them their seventh straight win over BYU.
For the second time this season, the Cougars held a late lead over Gonzaga only to see the Bulldogs roar back.
It was the final scheduled matchup between the Zags and Cougars, with BYU leaving for the Big 12 next season. Gonzaga is 25-7 against the Cougars in West Coast Conference play, with the chance of another meeting next month at the league tournament in Las Vegas.
Spencer Johnson and Fousseyni Traore led the Cougars with 17 points apiece, but BYU (16-12, 6-7) lost for the fifth time in its past seven games.
The Bulldogs held a slim lead for nearly the entire first half, but a 3 from Noah Waterman with 25 seconds left gave the Cougars their first lead, 37-34, going into halftime.
BYU led by a basket with 3:40 remaining but couldn’t keep up down the stretch as the Bulldogs came from behind to complete the season sweep.
BIG PICTURE
BYU has dropped two straight and fallen into the middle of the WCC pack.
Gonzaga is a game behind first-place Saint Mary’s in the WCC and will have the opportunity to even the season series Feb. 18 when it hosts the Gaels.
UP NEXT
BYU hosts Santa Clara on Thursday.
Gonzaga visits Loyola-Marymount on Thursday.
Bolton and Timme lead No. 16 Gonzaga past San Francisco 99-81
