North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Dec 16, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 16, 2017

Zach Norvell and Josh Perkins combined for 39 points, helping No. 12 Gonzaga survive a scare from North Dakota in an 89-83 overtime win Saturday at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.

Norvell made plays all over the court, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists. The freshman guard sparked a hot start to overtime for the Bulldogs, who were down nine with five minutes left in the second half.

Perkins hit one of his three 3-pointers in the final three minutes of regulation, and Gonzaga had a three-point lead with just seconds left. Perkins finished with 20 points.

North Dakota's Geno Crandall hit a 3-point from the right wing with two seconds to play in regulation, sending the game into overtime tied 69-69.

Crandall led all scorers with 28 points and Cortez Seales added 23 points for the Fighting Hawks (4-7) of the Big Sky Conference.

Gonzaga (9-2) responded by scoring the first nine points of overtime, including a 3-pointer and layup from Norvell, and sealed win at the foul line.

The Bulldogs took final exams for the fall semester during their six days off after a 97-70 rout of in-state rival Washington on Dec. 10. Gonzaga came out sluggis hand sloppy against North Dakota.

The Fighting Hawks took advantage, forcing 11 first-half turnovers and taking a 34-30 lead into halftime. North Dakota shot 52.0 percent from the field and forced 11 turnovers in the first half.

Seales hit 7 of 8 shots in the first half and led all scorers with 14 points.

North Dakota opened the second half with an 11-3 spurt that gave the Fighting Hawks a 45-33 lead. The double-digit deficit woke up the Bulldogs, who turned up the defensive pressure and answered North Dakota's run with 13 straight points.

Rui Hachimura's layup gave Gonzaga its first lead since early in the first half at 46-45. The Fighting Hawks went scoreless for more than five minutes during the Bulldogs' comeback.

NOTES: Gonzaga did not attempt a free throw in the first half. ... North Dakota made its first trip to the NCAA tournament last season, but lost four players from that squad and was off to an uneven start to the year. ... Saturday's game was the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs and first since 1972. ... North Dakota returns home to face Idaho on Dec. 29. ... Gonzaga hosts IUPUI on Monday.