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Gonzaga uses big second-half run to surge past Idaho

Nov 14, 2007 - 4:56 AM SPOKANE, Washington (Ticker) -- After a slow start, Gonzaga used a big second-half run to turn a close game into a rout.

Freshman Austin Daye scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half as No. 14 Gonzaga pulled away from Idaho, 80-43, on Tuesday.

Jeremy Pargo added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who used a 31-2 surge to take a 69-37 lead midway through the second half.

"I've been here 19 years," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "That's the best (defense) we've ever had."

Idaho at one point was held scoreless for over 8 1/2 minutes during the stretch, after trailing by only three points less than three minutes into the second half.

"We got out of our system in the second half and started to take quick shots that weren't going in," Idaho coach George Pfeifer said. "The trouble with Gonzaga is they are a very tough defensive team and they don't have a weakness you can exploit when you need to get an easy basket."

The Bulldogs (2-0) played again without forward Josh Heytvelt, who will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his foot Monday.

Daye, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener on Sunday, again filled in nicely for the Bulldogs' leading rebounder from last season, leading Gonzaga in scoring for the second straight game.

Gonzaga scored the game's first nine points but Idaho fought back to take a 24-20 lead with 9:02 left to play in the first half.

Few thought that Gonzaga played too casual in the opening 20 minutes.

"We're not very good when we play 'cool,'" Few said.

The Bulldogs answered with a 12-2 run and had a 36-30 lead at the break.

Brandon Brown had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Idaho (1-1), which shot just 4-of-17 from the free-throw line.

"We can't collapse like that," Brown said. "We've got to stay together to win games."