Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgren made his NCAA Tournament debut one to remember.
The lanky Bulldogs freshman tallied 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists, and two steals in Thursday's opening-round 93-72 win over Georgia State, becoming the first Division I player to reach those numbers in any game since Joel Przybilla did so for Minnesota on Jan. 12, 2000, according to Stats By STATS.
Holmgren, a potential top pick in this year's NBA draft, didn't immediately assert himself offensively Thursday. Neither did his team. He scored just five of the Bulldogs' 35 first-half points as 16th-seeded Georgia State kept it a one-possession game at the break.
Thanks to Holmgren and junior forward Drew Timme, however, Gonzaga quickly pulled away in the second half, as Timme scored 22 of his 32 points to give last year's Tournament finalist the 21-point victory.
Holmgren's 17 rebounds matched his season high, set twice this year in February wins over BYU and Pepperdine. His seven blocks also equaled the personal best he set in his Nov. 9 college debut against Dixie State. He averaged 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, and 1.8 assists in 29 regular-season contests for Mark Few's squad.
