How Steven got his groove back

Steven Gray has a knack for playing well against Santa Clara. The junior scored 26 points – 19 in the first half – as No. 15/18 Gonzaga routed Santa Clara 88-51 in front of a capacity crowd.

The Bulldogs (23-5, 11-2 WCC) now have the top seed in next weekend's West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. Gonzaga also grabs at least a share of its 10th straight regular season championship. Saint Mary's defeated Pepperdine 76-49 and remains a game back with one contest left on the slate.

Through three seasons, Gray has tormented his conference foe.

Two years ago he hit two key free throws in a thrilling two-overtime game against the Broncos. On Jan. 28 he notched a game-high 19 points, and in this game, the sharp-shooting guard outscored Santa Clara 19-15 in the first half and registered 15 of the team's first 22 points.

"It's great to see him shoot the ball the way he is capable of," Head Coach Mark Few said. "He hasn't shot the ball well in league play. He hasn't been very Steven Gray-like."

For Gray, it was his highest point total since a career best 27 on Nov. 23 against Colorado. It was his fourth 20-point effort this season. He added seven more points in the second half to spark an 11-2 Bulldogs run. Gray's night ended at the 10:36 mark when he gave way to freshman G.J. Villarino. The guard was 10-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

"It makes it a lot easier," Gray said of his and the team's hot shooting. "It adds a whole new energy to the game."

"When Steven is hot, we're tough to stop," senior Matt Bouldin said. "It helps the rest of us."

The Bulldogs were also stout defensively, holding Santa Clara to 24 percent shooting in the first half and 34 percent for the game. It was the Broncos feeblest first-half output since a 22-point effort against Portland on Jan. 30.

"Outstanding defensive effort, especially from the first five or six guys," Few said of the Bulldogs eighth straight win against Santa Clara. "It set the tone for the entire game. The league championship meant a lot to them."

A combination of Demetri Goodson and Gray kept Santa Clara's Robert Smith quiet. The team's second-leading scorer was 0-for-10 from the field in 35 minutes on the floor. Marc Trasolini, the team's top scorer, netted 13, but nine of those came with the game out of reach in the second half.

"It's been a year of defense," junior Rob Sacre said. "When we play defense we are great."
Sacre scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds in just 16 minutes.

"Rob was great tonight," Few said. "He was animated. He was a physical presence."

The game changed in the first half when Elias Harris reeled off six straight points capped off with an emphatic alley-oop. The surge sparked a 13-2 run to close out the half. Harris finished with 11 points and two rebounds, reaching double figures against the Broncos for the second time this season. Gonzaga entered intermission up 41-15.

Bouldin added seven quiet points and Bol Kong contributed 12 points and four boards off the bench. The Bulldogs shot just better than 57 percent for the game and outmanned the Broncos 50-20 in the paint.

Gonzaga exploited a youthful Broncos team that doesn't have a single scholarship senior and is the seventh youngest team in the country. Santa Clara is also without one of its top offensive weapons, Kevin Foster, who injured his foot in December.

The Zags quickly shifted their focus to San Francisco. The Dons stunned Gonzaga 81-77 in overtime on Jan. 30.

"We kind of put [San Francisco] on a roll," Few said of the Dons, who have won five of seven since the upset. "They've been shooting the heck out of the ball and beating everybody in the league."

"We didn't play nearly as hard as we should have down [in San Francisco]," Bouldin said.
Gonzaga has won 14 of its last 16 games. The Broncos last defeated the Bulldogs 83-74 on Feb. 12, 2007. This season, Gonzaga overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to topple SCU 71-64 Jan. 28 at the Leavey Center.

The Bulldogs host San Francisco at 5 p.m. on Saturday before entertaining California State Bakersfield at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The West Coast Conference Tournament begins on March 5 in Las Vegas.

    "We understand that 40 minutes is all that separates us from [sole possession of] a league title," Gray said.