Anton Watson leads defensive effort in Gonzaga's win over Kentucky: 3 takeaways

SPOKANE - Gonzaga is back on track. 

After a disheartening 19-point loss to No. 11 Texas on Wednesday, the second-ranked Gonzaga men's basketball team responded with an impressive 88-72 win over No. 4 Kentucky at Spokane Arena on Sunday.

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Here are three key takeaways from Gonzaga's performance:

GONZAGA'S DEFENSE RISES TO THE OCCASION 

Gonzaga’s defense looked shaky in their 93-74 loss to Texas.

Any concerns about the Zags' defensive effort were silenced in the first half as they held Kentucky scoreless for long stretches.

Kentucky made just 8-of-32 shots from the field in the first half and were off the mark on all 10 of their 3-point attempts.

“We missed every shot,” said Kentucky head coach John Calipari. “You don’t have to make them all, but you just can’t miss them all and expect to be in a game with a good team.”

Behind their stifling first-half defense, Gonzaga was able to build a 41-25 halftime lead. 

“I think it was really, really big,” Few said. “You’re hoping that’s how your team responds after a disappointing loss, and it was great. It got the crowd energized and they stayed energized. It was a phenomenal environment in here tonight. Yeah, that was big.”

TIMME VS. TSHIEBWE HIGHLIGHTS FRONTCOURT BATTLE

Going up against the reigning National Player of the Year in Oscar Tshiebwe, the Zags’ frontcourt had their hands full trying to contain the 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward.

In 28 minutes, Tshiebwe led the Wildcats with 20 points and 15 rebounds. It was his first start of the season after coming off the bench in Kentucky’s previous two contests as he recovered from a knee procedure.

“He’s a hell of a player,” said Gonzaga forward Drew Timme. “It feels like his hands have their own gravitational pull on rebounds, they’re just always on the ball.”

Starting alongside Tshiebwe was Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin, who finished with 16 points, including 12 in the second half.

As good as Tshiebwe and Toppin were, Gonzaga's big men were even better.

Timme was the game’s top-scoring frontcourt player, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting in 36 minutes. He also tallied seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.

But the star of the night might be Anton Watson, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tasked with guarding Tshiebwe for most of the game, Watson was praised for making his opponent work for every point.

“Anton was locked up with Oscar all night,” Few said. “He did a great job. Every one of Oscar’s [points] were tough.”

A native of Spokane, Watson said his performance and getting a win of this magnitude felt extra special in front of the record 12,333 fans at Spokane Arena.

“We’re just trying to focus on the win but obviously it’s in Spokane, and I’m from Spokane so I’ve been planning on this game for a long time,” Watson said.

RASIR BOLTON COMES UP BIG 

While Gonzaga had the lead for all but 43 seconds of the game, it seemed like Kentucky was building momentum when it shortened its deficit to four points after a 3-pointer from guard Antonio Reeves with 13:07 left in the game.

But the Zags didn’t let the Wildcats get any closer as Timme and Julian Strawther each sank a pair of free throws shortly before guard Rasir Bolton nailed a 3-pointer.

Bolton scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half, ensuring that Gonzaga stayed ahead down the stretch.

“He was huge,” Few said of Bolton. “When those deep 3s are going in, it’s a lot easier to stretch the floor for Drew and he does a great job at the free-throw line.”