Gonzaga's bench comes alive in win over Northern Illinois: 3 takeaways

Ben Gregg, Malachi Smith and Hunter Sallis score a combined 29 second-half points to help the Zags overcome a slow start

Henry Krueger | Dec 13, 2022

Gonzaga's bench comes alive in win over Northern Illinois: 3 takeaways /

In this story:

It's not how you start, it’s how you finish.

The age-old saying held true on Monday when No. 15 Gonzaga (8-3) overcame a sluggish start to defeat Northern Illinois (3-7) 88-67 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Here are three observations from Gonzaga’s performance:

ASIDE FROM DREW TIMME, ZAGS STRUGGLE WITH SHOOTING IN FIRST HALF

Ranked 291st in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom, NIU was expected to have its hands full trying to contain Gonzaga’s deep arsenal of scorers.

However, in the first half, only one Zag created problems for the Huskies’ defense.

That player was Drew Timme, who collected 16 of his 26 points in the first half, which ended with Gonzaga ahead 36-30.

After being subbed out around the five-minute mark, Timme checked back in about nine minutes before halftime and scored 10 of Gonzaga’s next 12 points.

It was a much-needed contribution for the Zags, who shot 13-for-32 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range before the intermission.

“We couldn’t score the damn ball, to put it bluntly,” Timme said.

Timme’s scoring output moved him past Ronny Turiaf for seventh place all-time in points scored for the program.

With 1,747 career points, Timme is behind Matt Santangelo, who tallied 1,810 points for the Zags from 1996-2000.

“It’s super cool to see that stuff on Twitter, obviously there have been a bunch of players that have come through here and had an awesome impact, but at the end of the day, we just have to win,” Timme said.

BENCH PRODUCTION HELPS GONZAGA PULL AWAY IN SECOND HALF

Heading into the second half, it was clear the Zags needed someone besides Timme to generate points.

Timme got the help he needed, but it didn’t come from a fellow starter, as Ben Gregg, Malachi Smith and Hunter Sallis came off the bench and scored a combined 29 points in the second half.

Gregg finished with a career-high 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals, playing at the same high level his teammates have witnessed in practice, according to Timme.

“He looks like how he does in practice finally in a freaking game,” Timme said. “This dude's been cooking and killing it in practice…, so I can’t be happier for him just to get the opportunity and seize the moment.”

The crowd was ready to erupt when Gregg went up for a dunk in the second half, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Still, the play wasn’t over, as Smith grabbed the rebound and passed it back to Gregg, who finished a layup and drew a foul.

“Man, I’m waiting for my first in-game dunk,” Gregg said. “I got pretty excited, but [the defender]... got a piece of it, but I was able to get a putback and end up with the two points.”

While Monday’s contest was a career performance for Gregg, it was a bounce-back night for Smith after putting up zero points in Gonzaga’s 77-60 win over Washington on Friday.

Smith ended with 14 points and went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, which included a trio of 3-pointers he nailed in the final 12 minutes to help Gonzaga pull away for the win.

“Malachi and Ben really rose to the occasion, especially in the second half because we just needed someone to put the ball in the hole and it was huge,” Timme said.

Adding 10 points, Sallis brought a similar level of offensive production as Smith and Gregg, while also making an impact defensively in a career-high 30 minutes of playing time.

“What Hunter brings to the table — just his defense, his hands, his tenacity — like those are all stuff that he does all the time and you can just see him getting more and more confident and comfortable,” Timme said.

RASIR BOLTON'S SHOOTING SLUMP CONTINUES

After going 2-for-9 from the field against Washington, Rasir Bolton wasn’t much better on Monday, when he made one of his seven field goal attempts and finished with five points.

The 6-foot-3 guard hasn’t scored in double–digits since his 13-point showing in Gonzaga’s 88-84 win over Xavier at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament on Nov. 27.

Considered one of the Zags’ best 3-point shooters, Bolton has shot 1-for-8 from that range in the past two games.

It’s worth noting that Bolton wasn’t the only guard who struggled against NIU. Gonzaga’s starting backcourt, including Nolan Hickman and Julian Strawther, shot a combined 5-for-20 on their field goal attempts.

PHOTO GALLERY: GONZAGA VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS

(All photos by Erik Smith and Myk Crawford)