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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Gonzaga 81, Pacific 61
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2016
Where: Alex G. Spanos Center, Stockton, California
Officials: # Kelly Self, # Mike Scyphers, # Nate Harris
Attendance: 2859

Przemek Karnowski was so overpowering in No. 7 Gonzaga's 81-61 victory on Saturday over Pacific in Stockton, Calif., that Tigers forward Jason Lampkin admitted he could not keep up defensively with the Bulldogs' post player.

The 7-foot-1, 300-pound Karnowski had 19 points, a career-high seven assists and five rebounds as Gonzaga improved to 14-0 overall and 2-0 in the West Coast Conference.

Lampkin was one of three Pacific interior players who rotated defensively on Karnowski but gave up too much size.

"Karnowski's so big and wide there's really nothing I could do to stop him," said Lampkin, a 6-9, 230-pound forward. "When he gets it down there, it's pretty much a bucket every time."

Karnowski scored 12 points in the second half, rallying the Bulldogs from an eight-point deficit after halftime. He finished 8 of 10 from the field.

Gonzaga forward Jonathan Williams scored all 14 of his points after intermission and guard Jordan Mathews contributed 16 points, including two crucial 3-pointers in the second half.

The Bulldogs shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second half, thanks to the effective inside-outside play of Karnowski and Williams with Matthews on the perimeter.

Pacific (6-9, 0-2) was led by Lampkin, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half.

"Pacific is a tough team," Williams said. "We knew it wouldn't be easy. When we got down, we kept our focus and fed off our big man (Karnowski) inside."

Pacific built a 34-29 halftime lead, only the second time this season that Gonzaga has trailed at intermission. Lampkin made 9 of 10 shots from the field by the half.

The Tigers shot 50 percent as a team. Lampkin's teammates made only 7 of 21 shots from the field.

Pacific built its biggest lead of the game at 42-34 on a layup by Lampkin with 17:13 left in the second half.

Gonzaga countered with 11 straight points, capped by Josh Perkins' 3-pointer, to take a 45-42 lead with 13:12 left in regulation. Pacific had five of its 12 turnovers during that stretch.

After a layup by guard T.J. Wallace put Pacific ahead 46-45, Gonzaga went on a 12-0 run -- ignited by consecutive 3-pointers by Mathews.

Pacific went 0 of 6 from the field in that stretch before guard Jack Williams made a 3-pointer with 7:14 remaining. The Tigers did not get closer than nine points afterward.

"We played well for 28 minutes, but the 12 other minutes were not very good," first-year Pacific coach Damon Stoudamire said. "It's the first time since I started coaching here that I felt like we didn't have enough bodies to compete. Gonzaga is so deep and talented.

"Right now, I don't trust everybody on my bench to play in a high-level game like this. Because of that, late in the game, you see the effects of that with us tiring and taking bad shots."

Pacific shot 45.7 percent from the field but only 40.7 percent in the second half. Williams and Wallace combined to made 6 of 10 shots in the second half, but their teammates were only 5 of 17.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few lauded the play of Mathews, formerly of Cal, for his contributions from the perimeter.

"We tell him to go more to the toolbox and he did that tonight," Few said, noting Mathews' six rebounds and five assists. "All of that adds up."

NOTES: Gonzaga has 10 of the 11 matchups in the series, including 5-1 in the meetings in Stockton. The Bulldogs have won eight straight against the Tigers, including the last four inside the Alex G. Spanos Center. They are 8-0 against Pacific under coach Mark Few. ... Through Thursday, the .631 winning percentage of future Pacific opponents is tied for 80th out of 351 Division I teams. ... Gonzaga was limiting opponents in 3-point shooting to 27.6 percent, which is third in the country. Pacific made 5 of 10 on Saturday. ... Pacific G D.J. Ursery averaged 17.5 points in the previous two games for Pacific, including a career-high 18 against Pacific Union on Dec. 23. He had six points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field against the Bulldogs.
Top Game Performances
 
Gonzaga   Pacific
Przemek Karnowski 19 Scoring Jacob Lampkin 18
Przemek Karnowski 7 Assists T.J. Wallace 5
Zach Collins 6 Rebounds Jacob Lampkin 6
Przemek Karnowski 3 Free Throws Made T.J. Wallace 3
Jordan Mathews 2 Steals Sami Eleraky 1
Killian Tillie 2 Blocks T.J. Wallace 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Gonzaga 81 51.7 12-27 9-11 22 34 5 8 12
Pacific 61 45.6 5-10 4-11 14 27 1 4 11