LAS VEGAS — Jordan Matthews scored 22 points, Nigel Williams-Goss added 20 and No. 4 Gonzaga recovered from its first loss of the season and a sluggish first half to beat Pacific 82-50 on Saturday night in the West Coast Conference quarterfinals.
Playing a week after a stunning home defeat to BYU ended their hopes for a perfect season, the Bulldogs (30-1) couldn’t shake the Tigers (11-22) until Matthews keyed an 18-4 spurt to start the second half.
Matthews had a steal, three-point play and 3-pointer to put top-seeded Gonzaga ahead 45-29. The Bulldogs, who have won 12 straight WCC Tournament games, will play Santa Clara in a Monday semifinal. The Broncos beat San Francisco 76-69 earlier Saturday.
T.J. Wallace scored 21 points and Ray Bowles added 14 for ninth-seeded Pacific, which was plagued by foul trouble in its 10th straight loss to Gonzaga.
The BYU loss dropped the Zags from the top spot in the AP Top 25, and they again looked disjointed early. Gonzaga missed 11 of 12 shots during one stretch in the first half, made sloppy turnovers and was only up 27-25 at halftime thanks to Pacific’s 36 percent shooting.
With former Zags star John Stockton watching from the stands, Gonzaga was fueled by one key sequence in the first minute of the second half.
Matthews ripped the ball away from Bowles at midcourt and drove for a layup as Anthony Townes was called for his fourth foul before Matthews hit the free throw.
Less than three minutes later, fellow Pacific big man Tonko Vuko picked up his fourth foul as the Tigers struggled inside. Przemek Karnowski grabbed nine rebounds and Gonzaga held a 42-26 edge on the glass.
Williams-Goss added six rebounds and went 5 for 5 from the foul line to extend his streak to 43 straight makes.
BIG PICTURE
Pacific: Former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire’s first season as coach ends with a clear need to upgrade the roster. But Stoudamire did get the Tigers a WCC Tournament win Friday, the first since they entered the league in 2013-14.
Gonzaga: There were plenty of groans in the Gonzaga-heavy crowd at halftime, but the Zags eventually looked like the team that dominated WCC opponents much of the regular season.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga: The Zags beat Santa Clara by 35 and 31 points during the regular season. Broncos coach Herb Sendek was uncertain if second-leading scorer K.J. Feagin (concussion) would play Monday night after sitting out Saturday.
