Gonzaga finished in a dominant manner in 2020 and welcomed the Dixie State Trailblazers into Division I basketball with a 112-67 blowout.
Joel Ayayi was exceptional as he finished the evening with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. The only thing that stopped him from hitting a triple double was Gonzaga’s big lead and the opportunity to get quality minutes for his younger teammates. Corey Kispert once again had a great offensive performance with 25 points (4-6 3PT FG) in a shooting clinic. Oumar Ballo had his best collegiate game as he made a perfect 6-6 off the field en route to a 17-point career high with 5 rebounds. Dominick Harris and Julian Strawther also moved 8 shifts at a time, with Harris also adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Trailblazers kept it competitive during the first ten minutes of the game with a clean performance on offense, which enabled them to keep up with their host. For a team that just jumped from Division II to Division I (even though they were one of the best DII programs in recent years), it was impressive to see how they have been with the country’s top team for so long. position hangs. as they did.
But Gonzaga likes Ayayi and Kispert, and Dixie State does not. The veteran duo was unattended. Ayayi flirts again with a triple-double, while Kispert continues to burn the nets.
The Zags pulled away very quickly during the final piece of the first half and the Lumberjacks had a front seat for what the best offense in college basketball looks like. Dixie State likes to play an uptempo basketball brand, but the Lumberjacks were on the receiving end of a Zags transition clinic, which is best at getting the ball to the floor quickly and placing the ball at the bottom of the net. the opposing defense can cope.
Gonzaga continued the offensive clinic in the second half. The bench had another opportunity to play extended minutes and took advantage as Ballo, Strawther and Harris all flashed the qualities that make them the most important pieces for Gonzaga’s future.
Ballo played the best game of his short career and adopted the physicality of university basketball and completed a variety of chances in the paint. You can see the qualities that make the fan base dream about what he can be with the GU staff after a few years.
Gonzaga’s dominance gave even the newest member of the team, Ben Gregg, the opportunity to get his first taste of university basketball. It was a few minutes in which we got another glimpse into Gonzaga’s future as the team took the last few dribbles of 2020.