SPOKANE — Przemek Karnowski and Gary Bell Jr. each scored 13 points as No. 3 Gonzaga routed Pacific 91-60 on Saturday night, extending the nation’s longest home winning streak to 36 games.
Silas Melson added 12 points and Byron Wesley 11 for Gonzaga (20-1, 9-0 West Coast), which is off to the best start in program history. The Zags have won 13 consecutive games since their only loss at No. 7 Arizona in overtime.
Eric Thompson and T.J. Wallace scored 12 points each for Pacific (10-11, 2-7), which lost its second straight.
Mark Few has never failed to win at least 20 games in 16 seasons as Gonzaga’s coach there. Gonzaga, which leads the nation in field goal shooting at 53 percent, shot nearly 67 percent in the first half to build a big lead.
Gonzaga led 45-27 at halftime after shooting 66.7 percent (16 of 24) in the first half, and making half of its 10 3-point attempts. Pacific shot just 9 of 30 in the first, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range.
Gonzaga opened the second half with a 16-1 run, including 3-pointers by Pangos, Bell and Melson, for a 61-28 lead.
Pacific did not make a field goal in the second half until Ilias Theodorou’s 3-pointer with more than five minutes gone.
Gonzaga finished the game shooting 60 percent, to 33 percent for Pacific.
After Dulani Robinson’s 3-pointer put Pacific up 3-2, Gonzaga scored 10 consecutive points, including 3-pointers by Kevin Pangos and Bell, and never trailed again.
The 7-foot-1 Karnowski, who dominated the shorter Tigers in the early going, scored two more baskets as the Zags built a 26-10 lead. At that point Gonzaga had made nine of 11 shots.
Bell hit another 3-pointer to put Gonzaga up 36-18 with 7:25 left in the first. Wesley’s steal and layup put Gonzaga up 41-21 with just under 5 minutes left in the first, and got the student section yelling “up by 20!”
TIP INS
Pacific: Coach Ron Verlin’s twin brother, Don, is head coach just down the road at Idaho. … Pacific averages 6.6 3-pointers per game. … Pacific is 1-6 all-time against Gonzaga.
Gonzaga: Freshman Domantas Sabonis is averaging a double-double and shooting 75 percent over the previous five games. … Gonzaga has not lost a home game since Dec. 8, 2012. … Few is the only coach in WCC history with 200 conference wins, and now is 203-24 in league play. … Gonzaga has six players averaging at least 8.3 points per game.
NEXT UP
Pacific hosts Pepperdine next Thursday.
Gonzaga hosts Portland next Thursday.