There is no doubt that the Gonzaga Bulldogs are being flat outplayed tonight in Kansas City in the 2010 CBE semifinals.
That said, the fact that they are only down 49-38 at halftime is something of an accomplishment.
Kansas State went on a long run of shutting down Gonzaga’s backdoor-oriented offense and shooting lights out on offense to take a 17 point lead with around three minutes left in the half. That Gonzaga took that shot – maybe not KSU’s best shot, but certainly their most focused – and got the lead down to 11 with a chance to get it in single digits on the last play before the buzzer shows an impressive amount of resilience at the very least.
The bottom line in the first half is that KSU is getting the shots they want on offense while forcing Gonzaga into a number of difficult or contested shots when they’re not allowing Bulldogs guard David Stockton to beat them with backdoor passes. KSU finished the half shooting 53.1 percent from the field and a hot 9-for-15 from the three point line, a few of which came during that late run.
Right now, center Robert Sacre stands out for Gonzaga as a player who is stepping up – he’s leading the team in scoring with 13 points and got himself to the line nine times just from being aggressive going to the basket and putting himself in scoring position, something Gonzaga will need to see more of from him this season.
For KSU, half of that 3-point production came from Jacob Pullen and Will Spradling who are tied for a team-high 11 points apiece.