Gonzaga Absolutely Steamrolls Eastern Washington, 112-72

Filip Petrusev scored 24 points and Admon Gilder added 22 as the Gonzaga Bulldogs demolished the Eastern Washington Eagles in a Saturday afternoon matinee, 112-72.

If you took one bathroom break in the first half, the game was probably out of reach by the time you got back in front of the television screen. The Zags were just firing on all cylinders, taking a 64-33 lead into the first half. There have been 1,516 times that a team has scored less than 64 points in an entire game in just the 2019-20 season alone. Gonzaga’s offense was looking rather nice.

It came on a nice balanced attack between the front and the backcourts. Joel Ayayi, Ryan Woolridge, and Corey Kispert each finished with double-digit points. The massive buffer allowed for quieter nights from Anton Watson, Drew Timme, and Killian Tillie.

Across the board, things looked like definite improvements. The Zags attacked and attacked relentlessly, earning 40 trips to the line and shooting 75 percent (yay). They shot 12-of-30 from three point range, and although he only ended up hitting 3-of-9 from long range, Woolridge finally demonstrated a willingness to shoot the ball when the defense gives him room.

On the rebounding end, the Zags were relentless on the offensive glass. Gonzaga finished with 21 offensive boards, and overall out-rebounded Eastern 49-34. As happens with 30 point leads, Eastern was able to keep pace in the second half. Jacob Davidson gave a nice show, finishing with 17 points, but the rest of this team could not muster enough offense to do anything but remain a step behind for the entire second half.

All in all, it was a good showing from the Zags, a team who could very well be the next No. 1 team in the country on Monday. Kansas lost to Villanova by one point on the road, opening the door for the Zags to walk into the highest ranking in the country once again. Not a bad way to head into the holidays.

The Zags will take a week off and finish the non-conference slate with a game against the Detroit Mercy Tigers on Dec. 30.