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No. 19 Gonzaga finishes strong against Western Michigan

Nov 26, 2011 - 11:44 PM Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Robert Sacre and Sam Dower scored 15 points apiece, leading No. 19 Gonzaga to a 78-58 win over Western Michigan on Saturday.

Elias Harris and David Stockton both added 10 points as Gonzaga (4-0) pulled away in the second half after carrying an eight-point lead into the break.

The Bulldogs' leading scorer through the first three games, Kevin Pangos, had just seven points in this one.

Matt Stainbrook led Western Michigan (0-6) with 11 points and Demetrius Ward had nine.

The game, part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic, was played under two miles from Gonzaga's campus at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

The scuffling Broncos, picked by coaches this season to win the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, have lost their last two games to Purdue and Gonzaga by an average of 31.5 points.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, picked up their fourth straight win to open the season with tough tests against Notre Dame, Illinois and Michigan State ahead.

They started the game on a 12-4 run -- Western Michigan's Nate Hutcheson killed it with a three-pointer -- but only led 36-28 at halftime.

Gonzaga took control with an 11-2 run in the second half, doubling its lead from nine points to 18 at 52-34. Sacre had six straight points during the surge and Pangos capped it with a layup inside 12 1/2 minutes.

Western Michigan was never closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

Game Notes

It was the first-ever meeting between the teams...The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 all-time against MAC teams. In their last game against the conference, they beat Akron in a 2009 NCAA Tournament opener.