SPOKANE, Wash.: Drew Timme had 25 points and nine rebounds as top-ranked Gonzaga held off a late challenge to beat Northwestern State 95-78 on Tuesday for the second night in a row.
Jalen Suggs added 19 points and Corey Kispert had 18 for Gonzaga (6-0), which owns the nations longest home win streak at 41 games.
Jairus Roberson scored 15 points to lead Northwestern State (1-9), which was playing its fourth game in five nights.
The Zags cruised to a 95-57 victory over Northwestern State on Monday.
The last time Gonzaga hosted the same non-conference opponent on back-to-back days was a pair of victories over Eastern Montana in 1965.
Gonzaga jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes and led 24-2 after nine minutes. The Demons made just one of their first 12 shots.
Gonzaga led 43-17 at halftime, after Northwestern State shot just 27% from the floor and committed 16 turnovers that the Zags converted into 17 points.
The Demons opened the second half with a 13-2 run to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 45-30. The Zags replied with a 12-2 spurt to push their lead back to 25 points.
A barrage of 3-pointers brought the Demons to 75-64 with seven minutes left. But it was their last gasp.
Timme scored seven points as the Zags pushed the margin to 84-64 with just over three minutes left.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Beating Northwestern State twice should help the Zags retain the No. 1 ranking.
BIG PICTURE
Northwestern State: The Demons have played seven of their first nine games on the road.
Gonzaga: Bulldogs coach Mark Few said his team desperately needs to play games, which is why the Zags played the Demons twice in a row. … The West Coast Conference selected Suggs, a freshman, as its player of the week for his 27-point effort against No. 3 Iowa in just his fourth game.
UP NEXT
Northwestern State plays at Washington State on Wednesday.
Gonzaga plays its fourth ranked opponent when it faces No. 16 Virginia on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
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