No. 4 Gonzaga storms into Santa Clara

Fourth-ranked Gonzaga has been on an impressive rampage over the past five-plus weeks.

The Bulldogs look to post another large winning margin and notch their 10th consecutive triumph when they visit Santa Clara in West Coast Conference play on Saturday.

Gonzaga (18-2, 5-0 WCC) has won by an average of 33.7 points during its nine-game winning streak. Only twice has the margin been closer than 20 points.

One of the easy victories was a 91-48 thumping of Santa Clara on Jan. 5 in Spokane, Wash. That also marked the 18th straight time the Bulldogs defeated the Broncos.

There's also this: Gonzaga has won 17 of its past 18 games at Santa Clara.

But the Broncos (11-9, 3-3) aren't dismayed and are eager to put up a better showing in the rematch.

"They're a good team," sophomore forward Josip Vrankic said in a video on the school website. "Top five in the country. They're big, they can shoot the ball. They play well together. But if we just stick to our game plan and do what we're supposed to do, I think we'll be alright."

The Bulldogs, who lead the WCC by one game over San Francisco and Saint Mary's, are coming off Saturday's 89-66 road win over Portland.

Rui Hachimura scored a team-best 17 points against the Pilots as one of seven players in double digits.

However, it wasn't the type of victory that coach Mark Few will highlight in his personal scrapbook.

"I felt like we were in control of the game," Few said after the victory. "I just thought it was a little bit choppy and I thought (Portland) did a nice job of making plays when they needed to keep the game a little bit within distance.

"I think we were a bit too concerned with our offense and not enough concerned with our defense."

Junior forwards Brandon Clarke, Killian Tillie and Hachimura were all on the court at times during the win over the Pilots. It's a good bet the trio will share the floor together more often moving forward.

Tillie missed the first 15 games after undergoing ankle surgery in October as Clarke was promoted to the starting spot and became a major force. Clarke is shooting 69.8 percent from the field while averaging 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds. He also has 64 blocked shots.

"It's just three players that have a good feel for the game," Clarke told reporters after the win over Portland. "It's not hard at all. The three of us can guard the (forwards and center) so it makes defense pretty easy, too."

Sophomore guard Tahj Eaddy averages a team-high 16.3 points for the Broncos and he made four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points in Saturday's 69-57 road win over Pacific. Eaddy has made four or more 3-pointers seven times this season and leads the team with 51.

Vrankic had 14 points and 10 rebounds against Pacific for his third double-double in the past four games. Vrankic averages 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds.

The duo will need plenty of help from their teammates for Santa Clara to give the Bulldogs a battle.

"The keys are for us to play together, share the ball and make that extra pass on offense," freshman forward Keshawn Justice told the school website. "On defense, we have to lock in and keep them off the boards."

Gonzaga has won 26 consecutive conference road games, the longest active streak in the nation.

--Field Level Media