Gonzaga 65, San Diego 63
SAN DIEGO -- Forward Elias Harris scored 18 points and 7-foot center Kelly Olynyk finished with 15 as seventh-ranked Gonzaga avoided an upset with a 65-63 West Coast Conference victory over San Diego on Saturday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Junior guard David Stockton, the son of Hall of Famer John Stockton, hit a floater in the lane with 55.9 seconds remaining to lift Gonzaga. Harris blocked San Diego forward Ken Rancifer's shot at the buzzer to preserve the decision.
The win allowed Gonzaga (21-2, 8-0) to extend its win streak to nine over the Toreros (11-12, 4-4). It also handed San Diego its fourth consecutive conference loss after the Toreros started 4-0.
Guard Johnny Dee led San Diego with 21 points, 16 of those coming in the second half.
Guard Gary Bell Jr. finished with 13 points for Gonzaga. Harris and Olynyk each had eight rebounds.
The Toreros played the visitors even until the final three minutes of the half. That's when Bulldogs sophomore guard Kevin Pangos took over. With Gonzaga down 26-24, Pangos sparked a 12-1 run by scoring eight points on consecutive 3-pointers and a layup to give the Zags a 36-27 halftime lead.
Harris, who scored 13 first-half points, gave Gonzaga an early lead, hitting hit his first four shots for a 9-4 advantage less than three minutes into the game. Gonzaga increased the lead to eight before the Toreros bounced back with an 8-0 run to tie the score at 17 after Cameron Miles converted a steal into a layup with 9:09 remaining.
The two teams exchanged leads from that point until Pangos helped the Zags jump in front heading into intermission.
San Diego shot 47.8 percent (11 of 23) from the floor in the first half compared to 45.2 percent (14 of 31) for Gonzaga.
NOTES: Toreros coach Bill Grier spent eight seasons as the top assistant to Gonzaga's Mark Few before becoming head coach at San Diego in 2007. ... Grier entered the game 1-10 against the Zags. ...This was the 82nd meeting between the schools, with Gonzaga holding a commanding 60-21 advantage entering the game. ... The Zags entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally in field-goal shooting at 51.3 percent behind Creighton (52.1 percent).
