3 takeaways from Gonzaga's win over Montana: Drew Timme shines, Bulldogs limit turnovers

Timme is averaging 27.6 points and 10 rebounds over the last five games

The No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs took down the Montana Grizzlies, 85-75, on Tuesday for the program’s 72nd straight win in the McCarthey Athletic Center, the longest such streak in Division I men’s basketball history.

Here are three takeaways from the historic victory:

TIMME TIME

Photo by Myk Crawford

Upon witnessing Drew Timme, Gonzaga's 6-foot-10 center, pull off a gather-step on a coast-to-coast fastbreak before throwing down a one-hand dunk, Dan Dickau asked rhetorically if there was another player in college basketball better than the Zags' two-time All-American.

If Tuesday’s 32-point, 10-rebound performance wasn’t convincing enough, then maybe the last two weeks of work is — over the last five games, he’s averaged 27.6 points and 10 rebounds per game on 69.3% shooting from the floor.

The back-to-back West Coast Conference player of the week came up big in two crucial runs that helped the Zags put the Grizzlies away for good.

Down 10, Timme rattled off eight points to kick off a 26-8 run, including two scores to conclude the run and give Gonzaga a sizable lead heading into the half.

Timme remained aggressive coming out of the locker room to help build a 17-point lead midway through the second half. His emphatic slam was his third basket in an 11-4 run.

After missing two free throws late against Alabama, which put him at 29 points to end the night, Timme knocked down his last four shots from the charity stripe to go over the 30-point benchmark for the first time this season.

BANNAN HELD IN CHECK

Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga’s defense has struggled at times this season, especially when it comes to containing the other teams' primary scorer. Alabama's Brandon Miller dropped 36 points on the Zags over the weekend, and  Northern Illinois guard Keshawn Williams (27 points), Purdue center Zach Edey (23 points) and Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (26 points) all had their way against the Bulldogs' 42nd-ranked defense.

Facing Josh Bannan, who led Montana in eight different statistical categories heading into Tuesday, the Zags kept the 6-foot-10 forward in check.

After two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, Bannan didn’t find the bottom of the basket until three minutes into the second half before finishing with a modest 19 points. Considering the redshirt junior was coming off 27-point and 22-point performances in his last two outings, he had a small impact for the majority of the ballgame.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

Photo by Myk Crawford

Taking care of the ball has eluded the Zags at times this season — they averaged 14.5 giveaways through the first eight games after committing 18 such mistakes in a narrow loss to Baylor.

Since then, though, the starting backcourt has helped the offense become crisper. Nolan Hickman has posted his third consecutive game with no turnovers, while Rasir Bolton has committed just four over the previous five games. Though both guards were held to 10 combined points on Tuesday, Gonzaga outscored Montana by 23 points when they were on the floor.

Finishing with nine turnovers as a team, the Zags have averaged 8.8 turnovers in their last five games.

UP NEXT:

Gonzaga will look for its sixth straight win on Dec. 28 against Eastern Oregon. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center.