No. 4 Gonzaga remains undefeated, takes care of business vs. Portland

SPOKANE, Wash. - Nigel Williams-Goss scored 15 points as No. 4 Gonzaga beat short-handed Portland 73-52 on Saturday night to remain the only unbeaten team in Division I.

Przemek Karnowski added 12 points for Gonzaga (19-0, 7-0 West Coast), which has a nation's best 19-game winning streak. It is the best start in program history.

Gabe Taylor scored 13 points and Jazz Johnson 12 for Portland (9-10, 2-5), which has lost five games in a row. The Pilots played without leading scorer Alec Wintering, who earlier Saturday was declared out for the season with a torn ACL.

Gonzaga, which has won seven straight over Portland, never trailed despite shooting 45 percent from the field. Portland was worse, shooting just 32 percent.

Gonzaga opened the game with a 12-1 run and the Pilots did not make their first field goal until five minutes were gone. The Zags hit four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes and built a 24-11 lead. They were up 34-23 after a sloppy first half in which neither team shot better than 40 percent.

Early in the second, Gabe Taylor hit three consecutive baskets for Portland to knock Gonzaga's lead down to 38-31.

BIG PICTURE

Portland: Under first year coach Terry Porter, the Pilots started strong but have been suffering offensive woes in recent weeks. The problem may get worse as Wintering, who was averaging 19.5 points per game, suffered a torn ACL in Thursday's loss at San Francisco and is done for his college career.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs have dominated at home this season, outscoring opponents by 29 points per game in their first 10 contests in the McCarthey Athletic Center. They have trailed a total of 13 minutes in their first 11 home games.

UP NEXT

The two teams will play again on Monday in Portland, in a make-up date for a Jan. 7 game that was postponed by severe winter weather. Saturday's game started a run of four games in eight days for each team.