The San Diego State men’s basketball team, limping into this season in a physical sense, flew to Spokane and got their collective ass handed to them in a metaphorical sense by 14th-ranked Gonzaga, 69-48. The Zags are talented and deep. SDSU is injured and thin. It showed.
GU’s fancy little gym was the scene of one of SDSU’s biggest wins in program history, an upset over the 11th-ranked Zags in 2010. This one was third-to-last of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon, tipping at 9:05 p.m., and both teams came out like it was past bedtime. Here’s the scorching start they got off to:
Missed Layup by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
Turnover by HEMSLEY, Jeremy
Missed Jumpshot by KARNOWSKI, Przemek
Missed Layup by ALLEN, Dakarai
Missed Jumpshot by MELSON, Silas
Missed Layup by HEMSLEY, Jeremy
Missed Layup by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
Missed 3PTR by KELL, Trey
Missed Layup by MATHEWS, Jordan
Missed Layup by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
Missed Free throw by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
Missed Free throw by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
Missed Jumpshot by KELL, Trey
Missed 3PTR by ALLEN, Dakarai
Missed 3PTR by WILLIAMS-GOSS, Nigel
Missed Jumpshot by KELL, Trey. Block by WILLIAMS
Missed Jumpshot by CHEATHAM, Zylan
Missed 3PTR by WILLIAMS, Johnathan
That’s a ton of bricks.
Hemsley finally broke the ice with a layup after more than three minutes, and the Aztecs led 6-2 at 14:30. That was their high-water mark for the night. Gonzaga started draining jumpers and threes, SDSU kept chucking perimeter shots against the zone, the Zags zigged to a convincing blowout and we all inched closer to death.
Nobody expected an upset, with Malik Pope out and others still rounding into health, so it’s not fair to read much into this result. AND YET. It’s unnerving to see the Aztecs so thoroughly outplayed. They face Cal next Monday in Sacramento. Get blown out by the Bears and we can start worrying.
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Last week vs USD:
This week at GONZ:
Millenials love 69! Our student-athletes will learn that niceing is one thing and getting niced is another, less desirable thing.
Be nice. Don’t get niced.
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6’11” grad transfer Valentine Izundu looks like a player. His stat line doesn’t jump out but does fit the profile of an SDSU center: 24 minutes, 2 points, 5 boards, 2 blocks and 3 fouls. One assumes the big man was looking forward to this game after his disputed departure from nearby Washington State. Any WSU fans that made the trip from Pullman may have needed a few moments to spot the former Coug:
I’m sure they’ll get it sorted out by next week, @Valentine_II.
KABEER THIRTY 