Gonzaga blows out Portland behind big game from Malachi Smith
Following a trio of suspenseful victories, the Gonzaga men’s basketball team didn’t waste time disposing of Portland on Saturday.
The No. 8 Zags (16-3, 5-0 WCC) jumped out to a 23-5 lead, which grew to 61-28 at halftime and ended in a 115-75 win over the Pilots (9-11, 1-4) at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Gonzaga’s hot start was powered by five made 3-pointers in just over eight minutes, including back-to-back treys from backup guard Malachi Smith.
The team’s lead expanded to 40-14 before Portland was able to respond with an 11-2 run that lasted four minutes, 48 seconds.
But just when it seemed like the Pilots could shorten their deficit to single digits, the Zags scored 19 of the next 22 points to end the half with a 33-point advantage.
After combining for 34 points in the first half, Smith, forward Drew Timme and guard Julian Strawther continued to shine in the second half, which began with them scoring Gonzaga’s first 12 points.
Nolan Hickman also got involved, finishing a fastbreak layup and nailing a pair of 3-pointers to push the Zags’ lead to 43 points with eight minutes, 28 seconds remaining.
With the game all but over, head coach Mark Few pulled all of his starters by the six-minute mark.
Among Gonzaga’s reserves on the floor when the final buzzer sounded was Smith, who ended the night with a team-high 27 points and shot 7-for-10 from 3-point range. He also added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 24 minutes.
Timme was the Zags’ second-highest scorer with 18 points, followed by Strawther, who registered 14 points.
Gonzaga’s other players to score in double digits were Hickman with 13 points, along with Anton Watson and Ben Gregg with 12 points each.
Portland was led by forward Moses Wood, who had 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
The victory for the Zags extends their winning streak to 11 games, an undefeated stretch that dates back to Dec. 5.
Gonzaga will remain at home to face LMU at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
