PORTLAND — Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and No. 14 Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for an 82-67 victory over Portland on Saturday.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference). It was the Bulldogs’ 16th consecutive victory over the Pilots, including a 115-75 win on Jan. 14 in Spokane.
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. The Pilots were resilient, cutting the margin to 56-54 after Juan Sebastian Gorosito hit a pair of 3-pointers. But Strawther answered with a 3 to keep the Pilots at bay with 8:28 to go. Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.