The Kennel Club- Best Student Section In The Nation
Bow ties with red and blue polka dots—check. A sea of red t-shirts with white and blue snapback caps saying “Zag Up” —check. Mouth guard bashing signs scattered amongst the crowd—check. One impressive win over the bitter rival St. Mary’s—check.
Yes, that is all part of the “Gonswagga” that took over Gonzaga Thursday night. Students camped for days, to rage in the MAC as Gonzaga’s men’s team took on the Gaels, the leaders of the WCC. The Zags, however, handed SMC their first conference loss this year. If nothing else, GU showed the country, yes the country, how tough The Kennel is to play in and that the Kennel Club is the premier student section in the nation.
The McCarthey Athletic Center was loud. Very loud. It was incredible to see the fans, especially the students, make 6,000 people sound like 60,000 at the game that demonstrated exactly what ESPN’s “Rivalry Week” is all about. (To vote for Gonzaga’s student section as one of the best in college hoops, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops?sk=app_148595948584796 )
There was so much on the line for this contest. It’s all over the press that Gonzaga’s streak of 11 straight regular season conference titles is on the line as they sit in 2nd place of the WCC right now, but if Thursday’s outcome had be reversed, there would have been nearly no chance to even share the league crown—now there is hope.
It is only possible if the Zags win out and St. Mary’s falls to someone else; each have four West Coast Conference games left, so anything is possible. The 72-59 victory, however, showed that the Gaels are vulnerable, and beatable; so, LMU, Santa Clara, Portland, and/or USF please help the Bulldogs out and pull the upset off!
A bow ties is essential to have "Gonswagga"
SMC was ranked 13th in the nation, so the game was definitely considered an upset by the media, and probably from a national stand point. But in Spokane, a Zag dub was expected. The common theme stated before the game: THIS IS OUR HOUSE.
As for the players, Kevin Pangos showed signs of being superhuman, as he was 5-6 from behind the arc, with his only miss coming in the final seconds as a last second toss up before the shot clock expired.
Pangos drives
Considering the game was essentially over at that point, it’s likely his effort was not exactly 100% for that miss. He was also a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line and finished the night with 27 points.
Elias Harris is a big scary German when he wants to be, and last night, he wanted to be. In the first three minutes of the game Harris grabbed three rebounds, blocked a huge shot, and slammed the ball for a dunk on his way to four points in that time frame. It was insane. That fire in his belly set the tone for the night. He ended the night with a not so quiet 10 points and 10 rebounds for the teams’ only double-double.
Rob Sacre had a good game—finally, as he and Gary Bell Jr. both chipped in 12 points for the Zags. While it was nice to see Sacre being aggressive in the game, it was also imperative to realize how valuable GB2 is on the court. The freshman saw the most time out of anyone (35 minutes) and brings a completely different type of athleticism to the game. He is agile, fast, and plays the court incredibly well. With him and Pangos reppin’ the class of 2015 the future looks bright for the Bulldogs.
