Julian Strawther delivers down the stretch, Gonzaga defeats BYU in final WCC matchup in Spokane: 3 takeaways

BYU's final WCC trip to Spokane lived up to the billing, but ended with Gonzaga on top

In the teams' final West Coast Conference matchup in Spokane, No. 16 Gonzaga (21-5, 10-2 WCC) defeated BYU (16-12, 6-7) 88-81 on Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Here are three observations from Gonzaga's performance:

JULIAN STRAWTHER DELIVERS DOWN THE STRETCH

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Gonzaga trailed by three points with roughly four minutes remaining, before a pair of 3-pointers from Julian Strawther helped the Zags pull ahead and eventually secure a 88-81 win.

“These guys just trust me to make big shots. They find me and I’m always gonna shoot those,” Strawther said.

Strawther scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half despite missing five minutes after he was whistled for his fourth foul.

"When I picked up my fourth I was really disappointed in myself," Strawther said. "I didn’t have any in the first half and came out in the second half and picked up four. I felt like I was playing really well and (then) I left my guys stranded out there. I knew when I got back in the game I was going to try to make an impact and pick up where I left off.”

Drew Timme said having Strawther on the court was a difference-maker in the closing minutes.

"Getting Julian back was huge and it just opened the floor up so much more, Timme said. "When you have a guy like that you just try to throw him the ball as much as you can, especially when he has it going."

Strawther also added five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 33 minutes.

TIMME CONTRIBUTES AS A SCORER, REBOUNDER AND DISTRIBUTOR

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Often Gonzaga's go-to scorer in close games, Timme handled multiple duties against BYU.

The All-American forward finished with 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 36 minutes.

That's what it took to defeat the Cougars, said Timme.

“It was a war, man,” Timme said. “They have a good team and they always play us well. It was a grinder. We were just chopping wood the whole game.

Timme shot 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

GONZAGA BIDS FAREWELL TO CONFERENCE RIVAL

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

For the past 12 years, Gonzaga and BYU have battled it out as rivals in the same conference.

With BYU set to leave for the Big-12 at the end of the season, Saturday marked their final conference trip to Spokane.

This made for an intense atmosphere at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“It’s something different every time we play, whether it’s down in Provo or over here in the Kennel, it’s just that energy is crazy, fans are all completely engaged, everyone’s standing up almost the whole game,” Strawther said. “I mean, nobody wants to be the team to lose and we definitely don’t want to allow them to beat us in the Kennel, especially since it’s their last time in the WCC.”

Since losing the matchup as a freshman, Timme has helped Gonzaga win seven straight against the Cougars.

“We don’t like each other, but there’s a mutual respect, and that’s what makes playing them so much fun is how hard both teams push each other in these types of games,” Timme said.

There's a chance Gonzaga and BYU face off in the WCC Tournament, but otherwise, they will be nonconference rivals going forward.