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The Gonzaga Bulldogs had a hard-fought win against one of the best defensive teams in the country in the Kent State Golden Flashes.
After a disappointing one-point defeat against the Baylor Bears, playing 31 minutes and only scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds. Head coach Mark Few made sure they initiated play calls early for Drew Timme. The first play of the game was a pick-and-pop for the senior as he spun to the rim and was fouled.
Timme did not start every play 18 feet away from the goal and was a welcome site for Gonzaga's head coach Mark Few's eyes as well. They asked the coach after the game about Timme's bounce-back historical game.
"(Timme) was heroic. He wasn't really looking for the ball much early and wasn't demanding it... he was splitting the defense and scoring in a variety of ways like he does," Few told the media. "To end with 17 boards is a monster night and we need every one of them."
Finishing the game with his most impressive stat line earlier this season, with 29 points, four assists, two blocks, and a career-high in rebounds with 17. The most impressive thing is him doing all of this while shooting 68% from the field as well.
A very unselfish player, Timme was also asked about his historic game and what he does to have games like this. He admitted that he is just playing within the system and it can be anybody's night on their team.
"I was just play through the system, that's all it is. This guy knows (Julian Strawther), like some days he goes off, some days I go off, some days both go off. Some days neither of us go off, we play within the system and that's the beauty of this offense is that anybody and everybody can step up any given night."
Another positive signing from Gonzaga was their nine turnovers when Kent State opponents average almost 20 a game. A welcome sight for the Gonzaga faithful to see as the Bulldogs try to take better care of the ball, with them struggling in their first eight games of the season to do so. Julian Strawther was the second-leading scorer behind Timme, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Kent State will be fun to watch in March
A well-coached Kent State team that is the favorite to win the MAC is a good shooting team that takes advantage of every opportunity that is presented to them as well. A 17-point favorite the Zags were, it was confusing as most teams that have played them so far have had a tough out.
This game was in fact a hard-fought win for Gonzaga. Winning by seven and extending their home-game winning streak to 69.The Kent State team's stifling defense and unselfishness could bold well for the Golden Flashes to upset a team in this year's NCAA tournament.
Gonzaga will look for their 70th straight home win, against in-state rivals Washington on Friday. Kent State, meanwhile, will battle against the number one team in the Horizon League, Cleveland State Saturday afternoon.
