Final: Holmgren powers Zags to blowout win over LMU

The freshman phenom held his own against a physical LMU team to give GU it's ninth straight win on the season.

It was a long night for Eli Scott, as the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated his Loyola Marymount Lions in an 89-55 blowout on Thursday night in Spokane. Chet Holmgren led the way once again with 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocks while knocking down three 3-pointers.

“Defense is what kept us in it,” said GU Head Coach Mark Few. “Then we found some success on a couple of different actions on offense which got us some separation.”

The Bulldogs (16-2, 5-0 WCC) came into the matchup off the heels of a hard-fought 78-62 victory over USF last Thursday. With tonight’s win, GU continued its dominance over the WCC with their 26th consecutive victory over a conference foe, the longest such streak in the nation.

For the Lions (9-9, 2-4 WCC), they’ve now dropped two in a row following a brutal home loss to Saint Mary’s last Saturday. With their only WCC wins coming against Portland and Pepperdine, it’s been a rocky 2022 for Stan Johnson and his staff.

Here’s how the Zags got it done against LMU:

BATTLE OF THE BIGS

Few teams in the WCC (or in the nation for that matter) have the size and physicality to go toe-to-toe with the Zags’ two-headed monster in the frontcourt. The complimentary style of play and efficiency from Holmgren and Timme has given GU flexibility on offense, while each provide valuable rim protection on defense.

But against LMU’s veteran frontcourt of Eli Scott and Keli Leaupepe, it was anything but a cakewalk for GU’s Wooden Award candidates. Despite undersized, the Lions’ physical frontcourt continued to battle for every rebound on offense. Matched up against Holmgren early on, Scott used his 6-foot-6, 232-pound frame to penetrate the paint every time he touched the ball.

Midway through the first half, the Lions had a 16-6 rebounding advantage, including nine offensive rebounds. After a Scott tip-in over Holmgren, Leaupepe had back-to-back second chance opportunities in the same possession as the Lions trailed by just five.

“[LMU] is so active and so strong,” Few said. “Both Scott and Leapepe, one thing they really do well is go to the glass.”

Despite the rebounding disparity, Timme and Holmgren filled up the scoring column on offense. The two connected for GU’s first points of the game; an alley-oop pass from Timme to the freshman that sent The Kennel into a frenzy. From there, the duo traded workloads on offense. Whether matched up against Scott or Leaupepe, the Texan’s footwork and touch around the rim was ungradable, while Holmgren stretched the floor to keep LMU’s defense honest.

Back-to-back hook shots from Timme brought the lead to 14-10 midway through the first half. Later, Holmgren scored off another Timme dime, this time maneuvering through traffic to finish at the rim and extend the lead to seven. On the other end, Holmgren had his way with Scott, including a strip steal that led to an easy layup for Nolan Hickman on the other end. Holmgren wasn’t shying away from the physical play, as he rejected Scott the next possession.

Combining for 21 first-half points, Holmgren and Timme powered GU to a 36-19 lead at half.

While the Lions scrambled to adjust, the duo picked up right where they left off coming out of the locker room. Timme swatted a Scott hook shot attempt on the first possession for one of his two blocks on the night. A few minutes later, Holmgren executed a slip screen to perfection before throwing down another two-handed flush to give the Bulldogs a 14-point lead.

Timme would be held scoreless in the second half, but his defensive presence along with Holmgren on both ends gave the Bulldogs a spark.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

No matter how talented a team is, attention to detail to put together a complete game is a challenge. It’s a point of emphasis for Coach Few during this time of year; a strong first-half is typically followed by a sluggish final period that goes unnoticed on the box score but is apparent on the tape.

That desired consistency wasn’t there Thursday but executing necessary adjustments in the second half of a blowout is still noteworthy.

“We were able to rebound the ball better in the second half, which got us out running,” Few said. “That was a big key.”

As GU began to control the boards, the offense capitalized off the extra opportunities in transition. A missed layup from Scott quickly turned into a Julian Strawther 3-pointer just seconds later, as GU led 49-31 five minutes into the period. Moments later, Hunter Sallis recorded his second steal of the night before finding Bolton, who swung the rock to Holmgren in the corner for another 3-pointer.

“I’m feeling really confident in my shot right now and it’s going in,” Holmgren said “My teammates are doing a great job of finding me in great spots. They’re looking for me and I’m looking to take [shots].”

LMU’s offense continued to stall out, and the Zags took full advantage. Nolan Hickman finished off a fastbreak with a two-handed slam, courtesy of Rasir Bolton’s defense on the other end. Leading by 29 midway through the second-half, the bow had been tied on another GU blowout.

The Zags topped their efficiency from the first half by shooting 60% from the floor in the last 20 minutes, including 8-for-15 from deep. And while the rebounding battle was lost, GU outrebounded LMU 20-12 after being dominated in the first half.

UP NEXT

The Zags are back in The Kennel on Saturday when they host the Portland Pilots at 6 p.m. It’ll mark the first meeting in Spokane between the two programs since 2018.