No. 18 Gonzaga closes regular season with 78-59 win over Cal State Bakersfield

No. 18 Gonzaga beats Bakersfield 78-59

SPOKANE, Wash. — Matt Bouldin scored 15 points and No. 18 Gonzaga closed its regular season Tuesday night with a 78-59 pounding of overmatched Cal State Bakersfield.

Bol Kong scored 13 points and Robert Sacre added 10 for the Bulldogs (25-5), who had already wrapped up their 10th consecutive West Coast Conference title and a bye into Sunday’s semifinals of the league tournament.

This was the final game for Cal State Bakersfield (7-22), which is in its transition to full Division I status next season. It fell to 0-5 against WCC teams this season.

Trent Blakley led Bakersfield with 19 points, while Donavan Bragg added 13. The Roadrunners, after shooting around 20 percent most of the game, finished at 33 percent and were outrebounded 44-34. Gonzaga shot 51 percent.

It figured to be a long night for the Roadrunners when 7-foot-5 Gonzaga center Will Foster lined up for the opening jump against the 6-4 Blakley. No Bakersfield starter was taller than 6-6.

The outcome was never in doubt. Gonzaga led 17-6 with 10 minutes left in the first half, and a 16-3 run expanded the lead to 33-11 with 4:12 to go.

Gonzaga led 43-15 at halftime, after holding Bakersfield to 21 percent shooting (7 of 32).

An 11-2 run to open the second half gave Gonzaga a 54-17 lead and the Bulldogs coasted to the victory. Bakersfield made a late run against Gonzaga’s reserves.

It was senior night for the Bulldogs, as Bouldin, Foster and Chris Pantarolo-Maag played their final home game. Bouldin on Monday was named the WCC player of the year.

While Bouldin has been a starter since his freshman year, Foster, the tallest player to ever wear a Zags uniform, was a role player. The 5-11 Pontarolo-Maag saw little playing time.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few, in his 11th season, has 289 wins with the Bulldogs, one short of tying Hank Anderson, who won 290 games in 21 seasons. Few and Roy Williams of North Carolina are the only active coaches with at least five years’ experience who have won at least 80 percent of their games.

Gonzaga is 75-4 in the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004. The only home loss this season was to Wake Forest.