Bouldin scored 21 points and contributed five assists, an amazing line for a true freshman in such an intense and heated rivalry, and for the eighth consecutive game Derek Raivio scored over 20 points, finishing with a game high 25. Josh Heytvelt got the Zags started with three early dunks, including a beautiful alley oop on the game’s first play, on a great play call from the coaching staff and perfect lob from Jeremy Pargo. The lob dunk set the tone for the Bulldogs and seemed to stun the huskies a bit. While the starting trio of Heytvelt, Bouldin, and Raivio did most of the scoring damage, it was the energy and hustle off the bench by PMAC and Kuso that put the game away. All night Kuso was great on the glass and at the defensive end. He guarded very well and did a fantastic job flying at the Husky shooters, getting a few blocks and changing numerous other shots. Kuso also rebounded well at both ends of the floor, getting some crucial putback baskets, on his way to nine points and six rebounds. It was PMAC though who sealed the game for the Bulldog’s late in the second half. Early in the game PMAC provided some nice minutes and a great dunk, but it was the three huge plays he made at the five-minute mark in the second half that assured the win for the Zags. With Washington cutting the lead to 13, PMAC hit a big three, then on the next possession got a steal and finished with a two hand slam to push the lead to 18 and put away any chance the Huskies had at ending Gonzaga’s home win streak. After struggling for a couple games it was great to see PMAC contribute significantly and get back to playing his style of basketball. Another key to the victory tonight and an encouraging sign of improvement was the Zags had only 8 turnovers. As well as this team shoots the ball and with so many scoring weapons, limiting turnovers is crucial, because the team is so efficient at the offensive end when they get shots at the basket that if they can keep their turnovers down as they did tonight they will have huge scoring nights and becoming extremely tough to beat.

Tonight was a magical night in the Kennel and a reason why it is so great to be a Zag. The crowd was unbelievable and the team responded by raising their level of play and getting contributions from each player to beat the talented and undefeated Huskies. While it is sad this great and heated rivalry appears to be over, all Gonzaga fans can take pride in the way the Bulldogs controlled the series in recent years and especially in tonight’s dominating performance. The coaching staff set forth a good game plan to neutralize the athleticism and fantastic raw talent of the University of Washington and the players carried the game plan out as well as anyone could have realistically hoped for, once again showing what a strong program Gonzaga is from top to bottom.

The Zags now get a week off between games, but with it being finals week and the next game being across the country against Georgia, hopefully the team does not come out slow and rusty, which has happened in such games in the past. With a 9-2 record, including 3 wins over ranked opponents, this team has put away any questions about their ability, but the schedule does not get any easier over the next month and the team must continue to improve and play at their highest level in order to enter the fast approaching WCC season on a high and with a great deal of confidence.