For the second consecutive game Matt Bouldin looked as if he has found his stride and produced huge offensive numbers for Gonzaga. Bouldin attacked the basket off the dribble all night, and then put the game away for good with a huge three late in the game, ending any chance San Diego had of a comeback. His ability to attack the rim and create for others and himself is what sets him apart from most freshmen, and now that he has rediscovered his outside shot he will become an important offensive weapon for the Zags and make them much tougher to defend as a team. The Bulldogs have started to run isolation plays to Matt in the post to take advantage of his size and diverse skill set, and last night he delivered at least five times on such plays. These post plays create great scoring opportunities, but they also create foul pressure against the opponent’s guards and open up offensive rebound chances when the opponent’s big men have to help the guards in the post. Along with Matt, Pargo also contributed 18 points and shot a very high percentage, going 7-9, while leading the team with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Jeremy continues to use his strength and athleticism to score in the open court, set up his teammates in the half court, and rebound extraordinarily well for a point guard. The best aspect of Jeremy’s game Monday was that he was able to cut down on his turnovers significantly, with only one, while continuing his aggressive style. Being careless with the ball has been the only downside to Pargo’s remarkable year, and if he can cut down on his turnovers has he did Monday he quickly becomes the premier point guard in the WCC and makes the Bulldog’s attack incredibly efficient. Behind the combined 36 points on an unheard of 14-17 shooting performance, Bouldin and Pargo spearheaded the Zags best shooting night of the season.

Monday was a great offensive game for Gonzaga with everybody shooting well and many different players contributing in the win. Sometimes when things are going so well offensively teams can become somewhat lackadaisical on the glass and defensively, which was the case to some extent for the Zags. Gonzaga held San Diego’s shooting percentages down pretty well, but the Bulldog’s gave up far too many offensive rebounds leading to lots of second chance points. These second chance opportunities were evident in the fact that the Toreros shot the ball 16 more times than Gonzaga, but also contributing to the large differential in shots was the Zags lack of pressuring San Diego into many turnovers, so San Diego got a shot on almost every possession, and may times more than one shot. Allowing a team to shoot 16 more times is usually a recipe for disaster, but because of the Zags great offensive performance it was not a factor in Monday’s game, but Gonzaga must shore up their defense and rebounding before heading into the second half of WCC play and more specifically Wednesday night’s showdown at Stanford.