San Francisco takes down No. 24 Gonzaga
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They stormed the court in San Francisco on Saturday.
Rashad Green scored a team-high 16 points, including the game-winner with 3.3 seconds remaining, as San Francisco upset No. 24 Gonzaga, 66-65.
Perris Blackwell posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Williams contributed 13 points and Angelo Caloiaro had 10 for the Dons (18-11, 8-7 WCC), who knocked off 11-time defending WCC champion Gonzaga for the third consecutive year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elias Harris scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-5, 11-3), who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Gary Bell Jr. netted 16 points in defeat.
Robert Sacre's layup for the Zags with 3:49 to play put the visitors up, 65-64. The score would remain unchanged for over three minutes, as excellent defense prevented USF from scoring and poorly-timed turnovers haunted Gonzaga.
After Harris missed a jumper with 20 seconds remaining, Green drove the floor, muscled his way into the paint and let loose a jumper that fell through the cylinder for the game's final basket.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harris had one final opportunity to win it for the Bulldogs, but his desperation three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded was off-balance and fell several feet short.
At one point, San Francisco appeared to be running away with it. A Williams' three-pointer put San Francisco up five, 62-57, with 7:23 to play. As tightly contested as the game had been -- five points tied the largest lead in the second half for either team, a 38-43 Dons edge just under three minutes into the period -- such a lead was significant.
But Gonzaga came roaring back, scoring eight of the next 10 points to take its 65-64 advantage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The first half was similarly hard-fought. Gonzaga pulled out to an early 13-6 lead, its largest of the night, but San Francisco didn't disappoint the home crowd, netting 19 of the next 25 for a 25-19 advantage and its largest lead of the night.
The teams traded baskets and the lead for the remainder of the period, and Green's jumper with 11 seconds to go sent the Dons into the locker room up 36-33.
Game Notes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The teams exchanged leads nine times and were tied seven times...Gonzaga leads the all-time series 44-22...The Bulldogs shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field in the second half after being held to 44.8 percent (13-of-29) in the first...San Francisco converted 22 Gonzaga turnovers into 26 points.