Steven Gray scored 12 points and No. 21 Gonzaga overwhelmed Augustana of Illinois 79-40 on Wednesday, rebounding from a tough loss to Wake Forest by pounding the Division III Vikings.
Bol Kong added 10 points and 12 different players scored for Gonzaga (7-2).
Augustana (5-1), from Rock Island, Ill., was on the schedule because members of the two coaching staffs are friends. The Vikings are a power in D-III, ranked 15th this week.
But they could do little right against the Zags, starting with the warmup. The Vikings dunked during the warmup, and were assessed a technical. Matt Bouldin made both free throws and the game began with the Vikings already trailing 2-0.
This one was over early, the Zags taking a 20-7 lead on Gray's 3-pointer midway through the first.
Bouldin, Gonzaga's leading scorer, bumped heads with an Augustana player in the first half and was on the floor for a couple of minutes. He was able to walk off, but did not play in the second half as a precaution.
Kyle Nelson and Matt Pelton led Augustana with 8 points each.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few experimented with various lineups and played lots of freshmen.
The Zags went on a 20-3 run in the final 6 minutes of the first to take a 40-14 lead at halftime. The Vikings shot just 24 percent in the first, missing all ten of their 3-point attempts.
The Zags were not challenged in the second half, building a 60-25 lead with 9:25 left.
The Vikings made just 27 percent of their shots in the game, including 1 of 21 from 3-point range. Gonzaga shot 50 percent.
Gonzaga is 66-4 in the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004. The Bulldogs play Davidson on Saturday during their annual home game in Seattle.
