3 takeaways from Gonzaga's win over Alabama: Anton Watson continues to shine
Just over a year ago, then-No. 16 Alabama shocked the college basketball world by knocking off third-ranked Gonzaga in Seattle.
The roles were reversed this year as the No. 15 Zags (9-3) upset the No. 4 Crimson Tide (9-2) 100-90 on Saturday in the C.M. Newton Classic at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s victory:
DREW TIMME HELPS GONZAGA OVERCOME SLOW START
Starting out slow and relying on Drew Timme to come to the rescue has been the story in a number of Gonzaga’s wins this season.
That exact scenario played out once again on Saturday.
After back-to-back made 3-pointers from Alabama forwards Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, Gonzaga found itself down 14-5 in less than four minutes.
However, the Zags were able to regroup behind Timme, who scored his team’s next four points to jumpstart Gonzaga’s offense, which went on a 14-6 scoring run to make it a one-point game.
Timme also helped his teammates find a rhythm, as he set up Anton Watson for a dunk and Rasir Bolton for a 3-pointer.
He ended the first half with 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists, while lifting Gonzaga to a 47-42 lead at the intermission.
With several other Zags stepping up in the second half, Timme no longer needed to be a hero, but his final numbers were still impressive. He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.
ZAGS GET BOOST FROM SUPPORTING CAST
Timme may have led the Zags in scoring for the fourth-consecutive game, but it took a lot more than that to push Gonzaga past Alabama.
Besides Timme, five other Zags finished in double digits, including his frontcourt mate Anton Watson.
Watson scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, while resting for just three minutes of Saturday’s contest.
He was also a force on the defensive end where he picked up three steals and helped the Zags force 21 turnovers from the Crimson Tide.
Another two-way contributor for Gonzaga was Malachi Smith, who had five steals, one of which came with just over a minute to play when he intercepted a pass from Miller.
Smith finished with 12 points and was the highest scorer off the bench.
Gonzaga’s three other double-digit producers were starting guards Nolan Hickman, Rasir Bolton and Julian Strawther. The backcourt combined for 35 points after going 5-for-20 in an 88-67 win over Northern Illinois on Monday.
GONZAGA SURVIVES CAREER NIGHT FROM BRANDON MILLER
While the Zags held Alabama to 32% shooting from 3-point range, there was one member of the Crimson Tide who simply couldn’t be contained.
That player was Miller, who finished with a career-high 36 points and made six 3-pointers to help keep Alabama in the game from tip off to the final buzzer.
The five-star freshman registered 26 of Alabama's 48 second-half points.
“We thought he would do something like that, not to that level obviously,” Timme said of Miller. “But lottery level guy, he’s a hell of a player and he really stepped up when his team needed him. You’ve just got to tip your hat off because you can only play such good defense.”
The Crimson Tide’s second-leading scorer was freshman guard Jaden Bradley, who added 18 points.
