We make this summary short and sweet. Gonzaga’s offense was to click on every possible cylinder on Saturday night when they defeated the Portland Pilots 116-88.
The main story, of course, is that Joel Ayayi recorded the first triple-double in program history. It was a storyline that entered the season, with fans striving for the possibility, and after a few close calls earlier in the year, it came to fruition on Saturday. Ayayi finishes with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assistants to go along with ZERO TURNOVERS. The 14 assistants are the second most in a single game in Gonzaga history behind Blake Stepp’s 16.
Gonzaga’s 116 points are the third most in the Mark Few era. A total of seven players finished in double figures, led by Drew Timme’s 26 points and Anton Watson’s career high of 23. The Bulldogs had an absurd 80 points in the paint, which should be there with the most in school history. They hit just four three-pointers and still put 116 points on 1.55 points per possession.
If there was one downside to this game, it would be the defense. They conceded 13 tries and Portland scored 1.16 points per possession, which is an awful number given the quality of the Pilots offense. It will obviously be overshadowed by the offensive performance, but that kind of defensive effort will not win beyond the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Julian Strawther scored 12 points and Ben Gregg scored the first basket of his career in his hometown of Portland. All in all, it was a great evening for fans of Zag.
Gonzaga leaves for Spokane on Thursday and hosts Pepperdine before traveling to Moraga to tackle Saint Mary’s, who lost their WCC start to Santa Clara.