Denver Pioneers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Box Score on Dec 21, 2018

Junior forward Rui Hachimura scored 23 points on 9-of-9 shooting to help No. 8 Gonzaga steamroll Denver 101-40 in nonconference play on Friday night in Spokane, Wash.

Junior power forward Brandon Clarke also scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting as the Bulldogs (11-2) won by the largest margin in school history.

Sophomore wing Corey Kispert scored 13 points, sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. added 12 and freshman forward Filip Petrusev had 10 for Gonzaga, which dominated from the outset with a game-opening, 31-2 run.

The Bulldogs' previous largest margin of victory was 60 points when they routed Eastern Oregon 105-45 on Dec. 21, 2001.

Gonzaga shot 68.4 percent from the field, including a school-record 84.6 percent (22 of 26) in the first half. The Bulldogs were 10 of 23 from 3-point range and also had a 56-20 edge in points in the paint.

Senior forward Tory Stewart-Miller had 10 points and nine rebounds for Denver (5-9). The Pioneers had won three of their previous four games.

Denver shot 24.6 percent from the field and was just 2 of 18 from behind the arc.

Hachimura (23 points on nine shots) and Clarke (13 on six) combined to make all 15 of their shots in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 56-19 lead.

Gonzaga made its first 15 field-goal attempts with the first miss coming when senior point guard Josh Perkins misfired with 8:20 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs scored the game's first 18 points with Clarke's layup capping the burst with 14:34 left.

Freshman forward Alperen Kurnaz hit a jumper with 13:43 left for the Pioneers' first points. It was Denver's only successful shot in its first 16 attempts, and the Pioneers ended the half at 21.4 percent (6 of 28).

Gonzaga pushed the lead to 35 late in the half on a 3-pointer by Perkins.

The assault continued in the second half, and the Bulldogs' lead reached 45 on a layup by Petrusev with 10:17 remaining.

Petrusev pushed the margin above 50 for the first time with a basket to make it 89-38 with 5:18 left.

Freshman guard Joel Ayayi's layup made it 101-40 with 50 seconds left.

--Field Level Media