by David Cassilo / @dcassilo
Tipping off ESPN’s 24 hours of college basketball, Gonzaga was paced by freshman Kevin Pango’s 33 points as it knocked off Washington State, 86-81. Pangos hit a school record nine 3-pointers in the victory.
After scoring 11 points in the team’s opening night victory over Eastern Washington, the Canadian native busted out for the Bulldogs. His nine 3-pointers tied Dan Dickau’s mark, which he reached twice.
Despite his outside shooting touch, the 6-1 guard was not heavily coveted out of high school. If the win over Washington State was any indication, Pangos is the perfect player for Mark Few to team up with the strong front line of Elias Harris and Robert Sacre.
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
“That’s not a fluke,” Few said. “Anytime he shoots it, it’s a pretty good thing for us. He’s got to realize that’s his role for us.”
With BYU now in Gonzaga’s conference, the Bulldogs will have more competition for the conference’s title than usual. But Pangos and fellow freshman Gary Bell, who finished with 14 points, should keep their team atop the standings for years to come.
