Gonzaga jumps out to early lead, cruises to blowout win over Chicago State

The Zags celebrated its seniors with a convincing victory over the Cougars

In its final tuneup before the West Coast Conference Tournament, the Gonzaga men's basketball team didn't waste time disposing of Chicago State on Wednesday.

The No. 10 Zags (25-5, 14-2 WCC) raced out to a 33-11 lead, which grew to 53-29 early in the second half and ended in a 104-65 over the Cougars (11-19) at the McCarthey Athletic Center. 

It was fitting that Gonzaga's hot start was ignited by its four seniors, who accounted for 33 of the team's 42 points in the first half. 

In his final game in front of the Kennel, Drew Timme led the Zags with 17 points and shot 7-for-10 from the field. The two-time WCC Player of the Year also had four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 26 minutes.

Timme was one of seven Zags to finish in double digits, as Nolan Hickman and Rasir Bolton had 15 points, Malachi Smith had 14, Julian Strawther had 11, and Anton Watson and Ben Gregg had 10.

Jahsea Corbett was Chicago State's leading scorer with 22 points, while also corralling a team-high seven rebounds. He was, at times, the only player able to generate offense for the Cougars, who shot 43% from the field and had 17 turnovers.

Gonzaga's lopsided victory was an emphatic end to its regular season, with the team about to travel to Las Vegas for the WCC Tournament.  The Zags are the No. 2 seed, which awards them a triple-bye to the semifinals on Monday (8:30 p.m. PST).