The Gonzaga Bulldogs terminated any hope of a 16 seed moving to the second round of the NCAA men’s tournament Saturday, beating the Norfolk State Spartans 98-55 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs were led by Senior forward Corey Kispert, who had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Coming into the tournament, Kispert averaged 19.2 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Leading Norfolk State’s charge were Senior guards Kyonze Chavis and Devante Carter, who each had 12 points. Carter finished with 4 assists and 3 rebounds, and Chavis had 2 rebounds and 4 steals.
Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few has never missed an NCAA tournament in his 21 years as the Bulldogs head coach; however, he has only made one final four appearances in 2016, losing to the UNC Tar Heels in the National Championship.
Bulldogs Supreme Performance
With the win on Saturday, the Zags are on a 31-game winning streak, carrying over from the early end of the 2019-2020 regular season. The WCC champions ruled on both ends of the court, shooting 55.7% from the field, and pulling down 45 total rebounds.
After allowing Norfolk State to start with an early 9-6 lead, 4 minutes into the first half, the Zags went on a 16-2 run and never looked back. Kispert’s 15 points and 3 rebounds in the first half helped the Zags take a 43-23 lead into halftime.
Few’s squad continued to roll at the beginning of the second half, going on an 18-4 run in the first seven minutes of play. The Bulldogs would hit a 49-point lead with 5 minutes left, maintaining an 88-39 lead over the Spartans.
In addition to Kispert’s 23-point show, Junior Guard Joel Ayayi had 15 points of his own, along with 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Sophomore Anton Watson contributed 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals off the bench for the Zags. Watson was also 7-7 from the field.
Spartan Woes
After taking an early lead, an unfortunate turn of events led to a 43-point loss for the Spartans. Foul trouble would be one of the many struggles the Spartans would have, finishing with 14 total fouls, as well as 11 turnovers.
The team was 19-62 from the field and made only 7 of their 21 three-point shot attempts. 7 total steals would bring a shred of light on a sad day for Ronald Jones’ Spartans.
Up Next
Gonzaga will face the 8-seed Oklahoma Sooners on Monday, March 22, at 2:40 pm at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
