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General News Bulldogs in San Diego to tangle with Toreros |
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - The 17th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will try to cap off a perfect three-game road trip tonight, as they invade Jenny Craig Pavilion to battle the San Diego Toreros in West Coast Conference play.
The Bulldogs have passed their first two early league tests, as they have defeated their two main challengers for the WCC title. Gonzaga opened conference play with an 81-78 triumph at the University of Portland before defeating Saint Mary's-CA, 89-82, on Thursday. Winners of five straight overall, Gonzaga has already put itself in position for a 10th straight WCC regular-season crown.
As for the Toreros, they figured to be a darkhorse in the WCC race, but a 1-2 start has diminished that claim. After opening league play with a win at Santa Clara, San Diego was downed by San Francisco (78-71) and most recently Portland (63-54) on Thursday. The Toreros are now just 8-11 and don't figure to have a great chance tonight.
In regard to the all-time series, Gonzaga holds a 54-21 lead over San Diego and that includes a sweep of both meetings last season.
The Bulldogs shot an efficient 58.7 percent from the floor and dominated the boards, 45-27, as they pushed their way past SMC on Thursday. Elias Harris led the charge, as he erupted for a career-high 31 points, to go with 13 rebounds. It was the third double-double for Harris, who became the first Gonzaga player to score over 30 points since Adam Morrison tallied 35 against Xavier in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Matt Bouldin tacked on 22 points and four assists in the win, while Steven Gray notched his first career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. On the season, Bouldin paces Gonzaga in the scoring department at 15.9 ppg and he is also dishing out a team-high 4.4 apg and grabbing 4.6 rpg. Harris checks in with 15.2 ppg and a team-best 7.9 rpg, while Gray and Robert Sacre contribute 13.1 and 11.5 ppg, respectively.
The Toreros made only 37.0 percent of their attempts from the field and were also outscored at the foul line, 19-6, as they were defeated by Portland on Thursday. San Diego didn't have much luck following any missed shots either, losing the battle on the glass, 37-25. Brandon Johnson paced the squad in defeat with 19 points and two steals, while De'Jon Jackson chipped in with 10 points. On the campaign, Johnson heads the Toreros with 15.9 ppg and he is also dishing out a team-high 3.1 apg. Jackson adds 12.7 ppg and 2.7 apg and he rounds out a short list of double-digit scorers.



