Gonzaga defeats Wisconsin in second round of 2009 Maui Invitational

The 2009 Maui Invitational has been very kind to Gonzaga University so far. It was Gonzaga vs. Wisconsin in a 2009 Maui Invitational second round match-up, and Gonzaga showed how well they can score on a really good defensive team. Gonzaga vs. Wisconsin was supposed to be a tighter game on paper, as the Wisconsin Badgers were supposed to be able to slow down the Gonzaga offense. That's not at all what happened as Gonzaga scored often and in bunches against Wisconsin last night to win the second round match and advance to the 2009 Maui Invitational Championship Game.

Coming into the game, Gonzaga had been 3-1 and Wisconsin had yet to lose a game in 2009 (3-0). The only loss for Gonzaga was a game against second ranked Michigan State, where Gonzaga also almost had a chance to pull it out in the end. Both Gonzaga and Wisconsin won their first round matches in the 2009 Maui Invitational, setting up a semi-final match against each other with the winner getting the chance to play Cincinnati in the finals. The Gonzaga vs. Wisconsin game also started out quite good, and it seemed like the back-and-forth would provide some great entertainment. At one point in the first half Gonzaga went up by 10 points, and it seemed like they took complete control of the game at that point.

The starters for Gonzaga again put together a great performance, with Robert Sacre helping lead them in the paint early on, and guard Steven Gray really showing his ability to create a shot. It showed that the Bulldogs could really run with the best five on any team out there right now, but it also served to highlight that the bench just isn't doing enough for them this season. That could become an issue against a deep Cincinnati team if they don't pace themselves, but maybe this new young group of Gonzaga starters have the stamina to go all 40 minutes if they can stay out of foul trouble. They are definitely well rounded, with all five of them focused on defense up and down the court, and all five starters also have the talent to run the ball if they want to play in the run-and-gun style.

Gonzaga slowed their pace a little bit in the second half, and there were times where Wisconsin got within six or seven, but the Zags had an answer at every turn. Towards the end of the second half the Gonzaga defense made a number of big stops, and that coupled with some rushed Wisconsin shots really spelled the end of the contest. Gonzaga ended up putting the game away, and defeated Wisconsin by the score of 74 to 61. The leading scorers for Gonzaga were Matt Bouldin with 18, Steven Gray with 15, and Robert Sacre with 12 on the night.

2009 Maui Invitational Championship Game

Gonzaga vs. Cincinnati; Wednesday, November 25th at 7 P.M. PST

2009 Maui Invitational Round One

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