Nov. 14—Three takeaways from Gonzaga’s 81-80 loss to LSU on Saturday at Numerica Veterans Arena.
Tigers guards come through
LSU’s backcourt was a handful throughout for the Zags, even before UCLA transfer Donovan Dent delivered a dagger 3-pointer with one second remaining.
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Gonzaga threatened to pull away in the second half, taking a 68-55 lead with 8:11 left, but the Tigers stayed within striking range behind a trio of guards.
Skyy Clark, who entered the game just 1 of 16 on 3-pointers, hit three 3s. Clark, also a UCLA transfer, tallied a season-high 14 points. Abdi Bashir Jr. nailed four second-half 3s, all seemingly at timely moments in the final 12 minutes, and finished with 15 points.
Dent swished a game-winning 3 over Chauncey Wiggins to send the Tigers home with an upset win.
Add in Divine Ogochukwu’s seven points and LSU’s four guards combined for 59 of LSU’s 81 points.
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The Tigers led 39-37 at half, largely due to Dent’s 16 points, including a banked-in 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
Bennett big off bench
Gonzaga got into early foul trouble when starting point guard Xaivian Lee picked up two quick fouls, but Javon Bennett came through with quality minutes in both halves.
Bennett scored on a layup with 16:06 left for just GU’s second field goal. He snagged three steals, two leading to transition baskets, and added an assist and a pair of free throws in 13 first-half minutes.
Bennett had another shift late in the half when Lee picked up his third foul with 3:50 remaining. Gonzaga held the lead for 13 of 20 first-half minutes.
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Bennett continued to be effective in the closing half as the Zags stretched their lead. He fed Isiah Harwell for a corner 3-pointer after an LSU turnover. Harwell’s bucket put Gonzaga on top 59-51 with 11:47 remaining.
The same combination — Bennett dish, Harwell jam — connected a few minutes later to push Gonzaga’s lead to nine.
Bennett finished with six points, five assists and four steals.
Lee contributed nine points and two assists in 13 minutes.
Wiggins debuts
Chauncey Wiggins, the Florida State transfer who became eligible Thursday after being granted a temporary injunction by Spokane Superior Court Judge Dean Chuang, immediately joined GU’s rotation.
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He subbed in with 14:38 left in the first half. The 6-foot-11 forward didn’t score in 4 1/2 minutes, but he responded in the second half with a 3-ball shortly after entering the game to give GU a 43-41 lead.
Wiggins had three points and three boards in 12 minutes.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
