Gonzaga holds off Montana behind Drew Timme's 32 points

The Zags picked up their NCAA-record 72nd consecutive home win after defeating the Grizzlies

With an 85-75 victory over the Montana Grizzlies on Tuesday, the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs etched their name into the record books with their 72nd straight win at home, the longest such streak in Division I men’s basketball history.

Drew Timme led the way with a season-high 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Julian Strawther pitched in 15 points and 10 boards to lead the Zags (10-3), who scored a combined 34 points off turnovers and second-chance points.

Gonzaga trailed by double-digits after a hot start shooting the ball from Josh Bannon and the Grizzlies (6-6). The junior, who came into the night shooting 55% from deep, knocked down his two 3-pointers at the midway point of the first half and headed to the locker room with 8 points, as did redshirt junior Lonnell Martin.

Bannan finished the night with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field.

• MORE GONZAGA-MONTANA: 3 TAKEAWAYS

Out of a timeout down 10, the Zags flipped the script with a 26-8 run to close out the first half. Timme led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds to help build a 36-28 advantage over the Grizzlies, who missed nine of their last 10 shots heading into the locker room.

Timme continued to find the bottom of the basket in the second half, including a one-man fastbreak that saw the 6-foot-11 center blow by a Montana defender to throw down a thunderous dunk to give Gonzaga a 17-point advantage.

Dischon Thomas didn’t let Montana go down easily, though. The redshirt junior scored 15 second-half points to keep his squad within striking distance down the stretch.

Brandon Whitney capped off a 13-4 run that put the Grizzlies down just five with under five minutes remaining.

From there, the Zags' defense gave up just six points in the final three minutes to hold on for the victory.

Gonzaga is back in action on Dec. 28 when Eastern Oregon visits town. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.