SEATTLE — Methodically, unselfishly and above all emphatically, Gonzaga University took apart a very good Iowa team on Sunday afternoon, earning an 87-68 NCAA Tournament victory that sends the Bulldogs on to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years.
Likewise, the lopsided outcome sends expectations for Gonzaga’s basketball team soaring to perhaps an all-time high.
With eye-popping offensive precision, Gonzaga led this third-round tournament game from the first basket to the final horn. The Bulldogs used a 12-2 scoring burst midway through the opening half to push their lead to double digits, and the margin stayed there the rest of the way, including a high of 22 points in the closing seconds.
All in all, acknowledged Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, “that was a lot of fun. I mean, we played great.”
Forward Kyle Wiltjer led the way with 24 points and three other players also scored in double figures. Against a Hawkeyes defense that led the Big Ten Conference in opponents’ field goal percentage (.390) this season, the Bulldogs shot .615 from the field (32-for-52) and .625 from the 3-point stripe (10-for-16) while totaling 20 assists on 32 field goals.
Said Few: “This is, without a doubt, the best offensive team I’ve ever been associated with … (with) the firepower, the versatility and the ability to share the ball. This team is so much fun to be associated with when we’re playing like that.
“When we get the ball moving and get open shots,” added point guard Kevin Pangos, “that’s a good shot for our team.”
Because the Bulldogs are well balanced, it is sometimes difficult to single out any one player. But Wiltjer was simply outstanding against Iowa, converting 10 of his 12 field goal attempts. His two misses were at the 3-point line, where he also converted four shots.
It was Wiltjer who sparked Gonzaga’s early scoring burst, sinking all five first-half field goal attempts, including three from the 3-point line, for 13 points. And when he went to the bench with his second foul later in the half, other teammates stepped up. Guard Gary Bell Jr., the Kentridge High School product, scored eight points in the final four minutes as the Bulldogs stretched their halftime lead to 46-29.
“They have (offensive) weapons any way you look at it,” said Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery. “They’ve got shooters, they can throw it inside, they can drive the ball and they share the ball.
“They’re a very hard team to guard,” agreed Iowa guard Mike Gesell. “They have weapons at all five positions. They’ve got a very good point guard, they’ve got (good) bigs, and they’ve got wings that can shoot it. They’ve got all the pieces.”
In the second half, the Hawkeyes still had some fight left, closing within 60-49 midway through the period. Gesell had a 3-point try that would have cut the deficit to eight, but the ball kicked off the rim and the Bulldogs promptly ran off nine straight points to boost the margin to 20, effectively sealing the outcome.
Offensively and defensively, Few said, “that’s how we have played for long stretches of the season. And I’m so happy that these guys were able to put it together on the biggest stage.”
When it was over, the Gonzaga players stood at midcourt and saluted the noisy fans who for a few days had turned KeyArena into a little parcel of Zag Nation. And then it was time to start thinking about a trip to the Sweet 16, an experience none of the Bulldogs — save for Wiltjer, a transfer from Kentucky — has ever enjoyed.
Gonzaga will travel to the South Region semifinals and final, scheduled for next weekend in Houston.
“There’s no greater feeling than this because I haven’t been able to experience it and most of the guys in the locker room haven’t,” Pangos said. “So for us to be able to get past this (round to the Sweet 16) is definitely a great feeling.”
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