Gonzaga vs Northern Arizona Post Game thoughts and analysis

[Reborn]

Gonzaga 95
N. Arizona 49

Another great game by the Zags, from beginning to the end. There was no let up in the second half in this game at all. It was another game where the kids shot really well from the 3 point line hitting 10-22 for 48%. They shot 55% as a team for the whole game and 82% from the free throw line. Very good offensive stats, and only 5 turnovers.

Defensively they held Northern Arizona to 36% shooting as a team and only 22% from behind the arch. The Zags forced N. Arizona into 20 turnovers. Great stats and great effort on the defensive end tonight. The whole team. The team held N. Arizona to just 19 points in the second half, and just 4 points in the last ten minutes and just 1 point in the last 7 minutes when the subs were in. I gotta give a huge shout out to the bench players, and especially those who don't play much because they busted their buns off like they were starts. They outscored N Arizona 17-1 in the last seven minutes...Greg hit 2 three pointers. But their efffort on defense really impressed me tonight. Gonzaga has always says that the team is like a chain, and you will only be as strong as your weakest link. They team showed tonight that their weakest link is pretty damn strong.

I enjoyed watching this game because the team played so hard from beginning to end, and especially on defense. They showed their potential tonight to be a very good defensive team.

Holmgren led the Zags with 20 points and 9 rebounds tonight. Watson followed with 17 off the bench in just 18 minutes playing time. Timme had 14 and Nembhard 9. Sallis also had 9. The team is showing that they have learned a lot and improved much since their loss to Alabama. Those 8 or 9 days without a game must have helped as they probably had a lot of time to practice.

Go Zags!!!

[Spink]

Perry - he is going to be great! Motor and seems teachable.

[Zag365]

Solid team effort. Nice to see more playing time for nearly everyone.

[billyberu]

Perry - he is going to be great! Motor and seems teachable.

Lol... he looked like the Tasmanian Devil out there tonight.

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[zagfan1]

Holmgren went 3/3 on his threes. This is what we need out of him in addition to the rebounds and blocks. Watson showed good awareness of his defenders and was patient with his shots. Gregg hit a couple of threes in the late second half and it was great to see. He will be a good shooter. I don’t know what is going on with Strawther and his shots. He seems to be rushing and he even missed an open look under the hoop. Sallis played great on defense and shot well (3/4 from the field). I thought Northern Arizona was daring Timme to shoot the three all game. He shot 1/2 beyond the arc and hesitated a few other times. He made some acrobatic plays in typical Timme fashion. At the end of both halves Gonzaga had the chance to get to 50 and then 100. Both times they got a little sloppy and came up short. Finally, couldn’t help but notice that Perry was having a bad shoe day with the shoe coming off and the laces refusing to bond together. Bad luck for him on that. Overall, glad to see the Zags punishing opponents with great shooting and active defense.

[Spink]

Lol... he looked like the Tasmanian Devil out there tonight.

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In two years it is going to be great!

[Spink]

Holmgren went 3/3 on his threes.

on first 3 - 0 for 2 after. Still great!

[ZagsGoZags]

last two games look more and more like a zag team
sallis is responding so well to all he has to learn to fit in, so heartwarming to see,
looking to pass, not crashing into a crowd,
oh I loved it when he got his 3 pt
whole team pulling together more and more,
everyone learning the defense and tightening it,
loved the way the half time adjustment on cone worked so well.
Great job Mark Few bringing this wild bunch of freshmen into your system.
so wonderful to see the whole bench get minutes.
Chet makes 3 of 5 three pt attempts, he shot from long in high school we knew it was coming.
whole team taking more and more good shots, so nice to see most of the 3 pt attempts good
attempts, i still saw 3 attempts taken rushed, and like in previous games, they are all misses.

on another thread it said the zags personal charter plane has a range of 1800 miles.
that is among the shortest ranges of the short range airliners. I didn't even know a passenger
jet airliner could have such a short range. This plane would have to stop and refuel going to Hawaii, or New york to Paris. oh boy ... just having fun ...
so glad we have one, just amazed at its short mile capability

https://www.huntandpalmer.com/aircra...s/short-range/

[zagnut2012]

Ben Gregg has skills and will be a very good player.. He will get more PT during League and contribute in March. Go Zags!

Zagnut 2012

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

What a great game!

Watson playing in front of all his high school buddies like the alpha baller he can be was my favorite takeaway from this game. The 8 man rotation of guys who played between 19-26 minutes each was fantastic. Those eight plus Gregg and Perry, both very capable of solid minutes, is a nice lineup.

I think this team’s best ball comes out when they play aggressively on D. More time w that 3/4 court press please. Watson is an amazing disruptir at the top of that press.

[TexasZagFan]

Kudos to the reserves and how they played during the last 7-8 minutes. They were really getting after it, though it looked like NAU emptied their bench as well.

I always like seeing Martynas getting PT. He's such a team first player, always supportive of his teammates. I had a chance to speak with him for a few minutes after the A&M game, hard to believe that was two years ago.

[jazzdelmar]

I don’t know what is going on with Strawther and his shots. He seems to be rushing and he even missed an open look under the hoop. .

Feels like he’s auditioning for the NBA scouts half the time, with his shot selection and the unneeded difficulty with many of them. He’s a team player, no Petro, but he does go solo outside the system once in a while.

[jazzdelmar]

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 4-7, KenPom #317

[mgadfly]

Perry with his energy, size, and athleticism reminds me so much of Ronny. I hope he improves each season like RT did. Really terrific to see play.

Without looking how successful we’ve been, and completely from its fun to watch perspective, I love it when we press and have Sallis and Watson on the court together.

Team looked really good.

[hooter73]

Strawther is playing like a good sophomore that didn’t play much his freshman year. Typical of trying to do too much, be the guy… he’ll get it settled down. Perry is on the same train it seems. Few will get that out of them. I’m really enjoying Silas with his combination of intensity and smoothness. Joel-Esque in many ways with the sneaky cuts under the basket and I seem to remember Joel not shooting well his first year or two either. The defensive disruption he brings is fantastic.

I’m pretty confident saying that Timme has been scouted. Every team in the country knows now that if you double team him, it shuts him down pretty well. Up side is his kick outs to increasingly capable shooters is good. If he’s one on one or in transition, his creativity will get the ball in the hoop or draw a foul where his free throw shooting is looking good. I maintain he is a great college player but will not be a contributor in the nba.

Watson playing like he is lately is just awesome. Happy for him personally and when he’s playing good, it puts the team on another level