Gonzaga rewind: Nolan Hickman's heroics and Zags get physical in comeback win
Jan. 9—SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Leavey Center's capacity is listed at 4,200, but attendance surpassed that figure with perhaps 350 standing in the aisles to witness Saturday's thriller between Gonzaga and Santa Clara.
Santa Clara opened student housing early so students could attend the showdown against the ninth-ranked Zags before classes resume on Monday.
Students, fans and even coaches certainly couldn't complain about the entertainment value, particularly during a seesaw second half that was decided by Gonzaga's closing 8-2 run in a hard-fought 81-76 victory.
"It was an amazing college basketball game," Broncos coach Herb Sendek said. "Everybody who competed played their hearts out. Give Gonzaga credit: They took a punch early, came back quickly and then (Nolan) Hickman hit that really tough 3 to give them the lead late. We just weren't able to get over the hump after that."
Our latest rewind centers on Hickman's clutch performance, the Zags ratcheting up their aggressiveness and clamping down defensively on SCU standout guard Brandin Podziemski in the second half.
Nolan's memorable night
Hickman and the Zags endured a rough opening stretch. Podziemski powered inside against the sophomore point guard for two easy baskets to open the scoring. Hickman was saddled with two fouls a short time later.
Hickman shook off the sluggish start when he returned to the court. He had back-to-back field goals as GU cut into SCU's 14-point first-half lead. He canned a 3-pointer and suddenly the Zags were even at 32.
"After those first two buckets (by Podziemski) and those two fouls, it was definitely mentally rocky for me," said Hickman, who finished with a career-best 20 points. "My teammates kept me into it, my coach kept me into it, kept my spirits high. I felt like I was able to come back in the second half and do what I needed to do."
Hickman scored 11 points in the second half, including a pair of timely 3-pointers, the latter with a smooth crossover, step-back move that gave Gonzaga a 76-74 lead.
"That 3 was huge," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Nolan was huge."
Hickman made 8 of 9 shots, 4 of 5 from distance, and added two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and just one turnover in 32 minutes.
Defense derails Podziemski
Podziemski worked over the Zags in the first half with 13 points and three assists as Santa Clara quickly built a double-digit lead. The 6-foot-5 transfer from Illinois was a handful for a variety of defenders with his dribble penetration, crafty moves and slick passes.
The Zags adjusted to keep the talented lefthander in check in the second half. Rasir Bolton, who lifted GU past San Francisco on Thursday with 21 points, led the defensive effort on Podziemski with plenty of help from his teammates.
Podziemski made just 1 of 5 field-goal attempts in the closing half. His lone basket came with 10:50 remaining. He made two free throws in the closing minute.
"We tried to take away his 3s, a lot of the probing he likes to do and stay down on his shot fakes," Hickman said.
Podziemski finished with a strong stat line — 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists — but Gonzaga could live with those numbers after his impressive first half. It was reminiscent of Thursday when USF guard Khalil Shabazz was shut down after a 15-point first half.
"We did a better job of staying on his body and just squaring him up," Few said. "He was penetrating at will on us. We got in the gaps better, too. He was seeing some pretty wide driving lanes.
"But it's tough to be in the gaps when (Keshawn) Justice is shooting 30-footers like he does."
Flipping the physicality switch
Santa Clara and San Francisco took it to the Zags from the opening tip. The Dons pounded GU on the glass before the Zags slowly began to respond. The Broncos piled up paint points before the Zags matched, and eventually exceeded, SCU's physical play.
Gonzaga became the aggressor in the second half and it resulted in one of the primary differences in the outcome. Drew Timme regained his shooting form and finished with 20 points. Timme and his teammates applied steady foul pressure and the result was frequent trips to the free-throw line, even before Santa Clara was forced to foul in the final minute.
"Their intensity was really good and their physicality was really good, especially in the post," Few said of the Broncos. "They were really physical with Drew. We eventually found ways to get it to him and he did a good job of hanging in there."
Gonzaga cashed in at the foul line, making 13 of 18 in the second half after a 1-for-4 effort in the first 20 minutes. Santa Clara attempted just two free throws in each half, the final two coming in the closing seconds with Gonzaga in front 80-74.
"That helped a lot," Few said. "If you watch that first half, we were just kind of playing ring around the rosie and not penetrating, not being tough enough to get the ball inside the lane because they were up into us on the perimeter and fronting our posts. The guys adjusted."
Reserve forward Ben Gregg helped spark Gonzaga by bringing much-needed energy, rebounding and hustle plays.
"He was in there for long stretches," Few said. "His knee has been bothering him, but he really gave us good minutes, tough minutes. That was huge because Anton (Watson) was in foul trouble."
Gregg had career highs in minutes (23) and boards (eight). He added five points, one assists and one block.
