Recap: Zags come alive in second half to advance past Panthers

It was ugly at first, but Drew Timme's heroics down the stretch helped push Gonzaga past Georgia State in the first round matchup.

One down, five to go.

That’s the state of the Gonzaga Bulldogs after a 93-72 win over Georgia State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Drew Timme racked up 32 points and 13 rebounds while Chet Holmgren poured in 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks.

It wasn’t pretty early on for the No. 1 overall seed against the 16-seed, as the Panthers’ physicality made life difficult for Mark Few’s Bulldogs in the first half. After 30 minutes of slugging it out, though, Timme and company broke the game open with a 21-0 run late to shut the door on a potential upset.

Here’s how the Zags got it done:

FEELING THE PANTHERS’ ROAR

Mark Few made it clear earlier this week that he wasn’t confident in the selection committee’s placement of Georgia State in the bracket. The Sun Belt Conference champions were 150th in KenPom, 159th according to the NET, but that didn’t tell the full story. Despite offensive inefficiencies, the Panthers’ stingy defense showed no signs of bowing down to the nation’s No. 1 team.

From the opening tip, Rob Lanier’s squad executed its game plan to stifle the Zags’ normally explosive attack. Through physical play and discipline in transition, every trip down the floor was a struggle for the country’s best scoring offense. Quick hands from Georgia State’s guards, along with exceptional hustle from big men Jalen Thomas and Eliel Nsoseme, disrupted any sort of rhythm for the Zags, who started 3-for-7 from the floor in the first five minutes.

And it wouldn’t get much easier any time soon. In a close, scrappy ballgame, Gonzaga missed 10 straight field goal attempts over a six-minute span near the end of the first half. A layup from Timme finally ended the drought, but the Panters held a 2-point lead with less than three minutes remaining.

On the other end, the lid on the rim was sealed shut for the Panthers as well, but that didn’t waiver their fight. Despite multiple stops and steals, along with a significant height advantage, securing rebounds became a battle for Drew Timme and company. Georgia State held an advantage on the boards throughout the first half.

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

Whether it was rust or simply nerves, that first half of basketball was uncharacteristic to put it lightly. Credit to the Panthers, who entered as a top-15 team nationally for steals per game, but there was plenty of unforced errors on the part of the Bulldogs.

As if putting the ball in the basket was hard enough, the offensive struggles began to spread to the charity stripe. Attacking the rim was hardly the issue, especially with Thomas in early foul trouble, but capitalizing off that penetration alluded the Zags, who started a pitiful 5-for-15 from the free-throw line.

That conversion rate is merely unacceptable at any level of competition. Add in a handful of turnovers and sloppy ball-handling, and most of the Zags’ fans in the Moda Center were left wondering if the team made the trip to Portland.

Fortunately, the defense continued to cover up most of the miscues, as Chet Holmgren’s presence down low was heavily felt through every swat and shot contest. Sooner or later though, the offense needed to wake up before things got too hairy heading down the stretch.

A two-hand dunk from Hunter Sallis sparked five straight scores for the Zags as the gears finally got going late in the first half. Following Rasir Bolton’s layup with 30 seconds remaining, Anton Watson rejected Corey Allen to prevent a last-second score from the Panthers before the break.

Gonzaga scrapped and clawed its way to a 35-33 lead through 20 minutes of action, a line that not many envisioned before tipoff.

ALL-AMERICANS POWER STRONG FINISH

Those who believe that the tournament is built for guards clearly forgot about Drew Timme’s stellar run last year. Maybe they’ll remember after watching him spin and jumphook his way through the Panthers’ interior defense in the second half on Thursday.

After a quiet first half, the junior came out of the locker room and wasted no time getting into a groove with two quick buckets down low in the opening minutes. Moments later, he converted through contact to give the Zags some breathing room for the first time all day. Possession after possession, the Texas native slugged it out for offensive rebounds to help build some kind of momentum and set the tone down the stretch.

Needless to say, he succeeded. Through multiple defensive stops, the offense managed to shake off its early woes to wear down Georgia State down the stretch.

Nolan Hickman’s hustle to block a 3-point attempt was rewarded with a wide-open dunk on the other end, giving Gonzaga its largest lead of the game with less than nine minutes to play. Later, Timme found himself alone under the rim for another easy basket, making it a 14-point game. The foot stayed on the gas pedal with another and-one for the All-American, followed by a block and layup from Holmgren a play later.

And just like that, a two-possession game with 10 minutes left turned into a 26-point rout in the blink of an eye. The gassed Panthers simply couldn’t hang amid a 21-0 run from the Bulldogs, fueled by Timme’s relentless play.

LOOKING AHEAD

With the win, that’s now 13 straight round one victories for the Zags, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas. They’re the only program in the country to reach the Sweet 16 in each of the last six seasons.

Gonzaga will stay in Portland to take on the Memphis Tigers (22-10, 13-5 AAC) Saturday in the round of 32. The AAC runner-up held off Boise State in the first round, 64-53, for the program’s first tournament victory since 2014. Deandre Williams led the way with 14 points, as the Tigers held the Broncos to 31.5% shooting from the floor and 28.6% from deep.

Memphis has won six of the previous eight meetings, but the Zags got the last laugh with a double-digit win in 2015.