PORTLAND — Julian Strawther scored a career-high 40 points, including eight three-pointers, and the No. 14 Gonzaga men’s basketball team 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 Zags’ 16th consecutive victory over the Pilots, including a 115-75 romp 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 cut Gonzaga’s lead to 56-54 after Juan Sebastian Gorosito made a pair of three-pointers. But Strawther answered with a three to keep the Pilots at bay with 8:28 to go. Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
Strawther’s three-pointer with 5:23 left gave the Zags a 69-59 lead as they pulled away. Gonzaga led by as many as 16 down the stretch.
The Zags were coming off a 99-90 victory a week earlier at Pacific led by Drew Timme, who scored 38 points. The rebound victory came after Gonzaga lost 68-67 to unranked Loyola Marymount, snapping a 75-game winning streak at home.
“I think we still have a bad taste in our mouth from LMU. So I think we kind of learned from that game that you can’t take anyone lightly,” Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith said.