SPOKANE, Wash. — Jalen Warley scored a game-high 19 points and Gonzaga used a fast start to hold off San Francisco 68-66 on Saturday night, extending its winning streak to 14 games and staying perfect in West Coast Conference play.
The No. 8 Bulldogs (21-1, 9-0 WCC) were again without star forwards Graham Ike and Braden Huff, but got balanced contributions off the bench as Davis Fogle and Tyon Grant-Foster each finished with 15 points.
San Francisco (13-9, 5-4) kept pace with hot outside shooting, led by Legend Smiley’s 18 points and Ryan Beasley’s 14. The Dons hit 14 3-pointers and erased most of a double-digit deficit in the final minutes before coming up short at the buzzer.
Gonzaga opened the game on a 12-0 run as San Francisco missed its first several shots. The Dons didn’t score until Tyrone Riley IV knocked down a corner 3-pointer more than seven minutes into the game.
Braeden Smith controlled the tempo early for Gonzaga, scoring nine points and setting up multiple baskets for Warley and Fogle. The Bulldogs carried a 36-25 lead into halftime.
San Francisco responded in the second half with steady perimeter shooting, pulling within six several times, but Gonzaga answered with defense and transition baskets. A corner 3-pointer by Grant-Foster with two minutes left gave the Zags a 67-57 advantage.
The Dons made one last push as Vukasin Masic hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute to cut the lead to two. After a Gonzaga turnover from Mario Saint-Supery with 30 seconds remaining, San Francisco had a chance to win it, but Junjie Wang’s potential game-winning 3-point attempt missed, and time expired.
Gonzaga finished 3 of 18 from beyond the arc but made enough plays at the free-throw line and on defense to secure the win.
Gonzaga now has a week off before hosting Saint Mary’s next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.