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An already banged up Gonzaga Bulldogs squad took another blow after Gary Bell was diagnosed with a broken hand that will force him to miss at least a month, Jim Meehan with the Spokesman Review reported on Monday.
Gary Bell Jr. has a broken hand, will be out for awhile, Few says on his radio show
— Jim Meehan (@SRJimm) December 30, 2013
Bell injured his hand at some point during a win over Santa Clara on Saturday. He finished the game with three points and played just 16 minutes. He went to see a specialist on Monday that revealed the break. According to Jeff Goodman with ESPN, Mark Few expects him to miss four to six weeks.
No injury comes at a great time, but the timing of Gary Bell's injury couldn't be much worse. The Bulldogs are also most likely down Sam Dower tonight as he recovers form a nasty fall against Kansas State on Dec. 21. Fellow guard Kevin Pangos has also been battling a sore right toe that gets aggravated about every other game. The Zags are also in the midst of playing four games in eight days to open up conference play, with big games against Saint Mary's and Pacific closing out the home stand.
With Dower out, Drew Barham got the start for the Zags, but it was David Stockton who was the star in the win over Santa Clara. If Dower is still out, the Zags will most likely slot in either Kyle Dranginis or Gerard Coleman for Gary Bell. Coleman would provide the slashing threat that Bell provides, but he hasn't seen many minutes as of late. Most likely, Kyle Dranginis will be called on for his first start of the season and the second of his collegiate career.
Bell is the third leading scorer on the team with 12.7 points per game. He was in the midst of a career year, hitting statistical highs in virtually very offensive category. He is seventh overall in the NCAA in offensive rating at 141.2 and had the second highest true shooting percentage in the WCC at 66.9 percent. On the season he is shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc.
