Gonzaga fans will likely find plenty to work on after the Bulldogs’ performance at the CBE Classic.
However, for now they did figure out something important: despite uneven play throughout, they pulled out a 66-63 win against Marquette in the CBE Classic.
The two most important developments of the game might have been that Mangisto Arop started after getting inconsistent playing time in previous games to finish with an impressive 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
Gonzaga Takes Down Marquette – The Slipper Still Fits
In the first four games of the season, Mangisto Arop was largely pedestrian. Struggling to get off the bench, Manny appeared to be lost in the shuffle. Tonight, however, Arop stepped up to the plate and really led this team to a win. He finished with 15 points on 7-9 shooting and, as usual, did great work on the glass. Unofficially he had four boards but I would wager he had his hands on at least five more. What I liked from Manny is that he enforced his will on offense. Far too often he has deferred to teammates but tonight he drove to the rim, took the open jumper, and finished strong. This was easily his best game of the season and possibly his Gonzaga career. Similar to Elias, this is a game Manny must build on.
Arop tied for a team-high four offensive rebounds with Elias Harris who finished with 19 points off the bench and looked as comfortable as he had all season, pre- or post-injury.
Jimmy Butler led the way for Marquette with 22 points and a team-high five rebounds.