SPOKANE, Wash. – No. 8/7 Gonzaga scored 64 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle by 24 en route to a 97-66 victory over North Dakota on Tuesday evening at the McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
 
The Fighting Hawks (1-1), who corralled 54 rebounds in last Thursday's win over Crown College, struggled to handle Gonzaga's (3-0) size, as the eighth-ranked Bulldogs collected 53 total boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, in the victory. UND also surrendered 64 points in the paint, allowed 22 second-chance points, and was rejected eight times on the offensive end.
 
Marlon Stewart flashed his skills in front of a national audience, leading all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. The senior connected on three of his four tries from distance and knocked down six shots from the charity stripe for his sixth 20-point game of his career. Stewart also led the Fighting Hawks with four assists to go along with his four rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes.
 
It was a battle of Serbians in the post, as UND's Filip Rebraca and Gonzaga's Filip Petrusev went shot-for-shot in the paint. Petrusev finished with 19 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and four blocks for the first double-double of his career while Rebraca posted a double-double of his own with 16 points and 13 boards. The duo both hit eight shots from the field, with Rebraca needing only 11 shots and Petrusev firing 14 from the field.
 
Aanen Moody and De'Sean Allen-Eikens were the final pair of Hawks to strike in double figures, scoring 11 and 10, respectively. Gonzaga saw six players score 10-plus points on the night, led by Corey Kispert's 20.
 
UND was held to just 25-of-72 (34.7%) from the field, including 7-for-31 from three, while the Bulldogs converted at a 57.7% clip (41-of-71), knocking down seven of their 16 tries from distance.
 
Less than a week after committing 19 turnovers, the Hawks were much better with the ball in a hostile road environment. UND turned the ball over only six times, while forcing 10 Gonzaga giveaways. The visitors also held the Zags to zero points off turnovers and just nine fastbreak points.
 
It didn't take long for Gonzaga to show why it was the No. 8 team in the nation, jumping out to a 25-9 lead less than eight minutes into the game with strong defense and rebounding. After the lead jumped to 30-15, UND climbed back into the contest thanks to the three-point shot. Stewart drilled his first triple of the game off a Brady Danielson feed before hitting another on the ensuing possession following a slick pass from Billy Brown to trim the deficit down to nine, 30-21, and force a Gonzaga timeout.
 
The Bulldogs answered right back, outscoring the Hawks, 25-15, over the final eight minutes of the first half to take a 55-36 lead into the halftime break.
 
UND hung around in the second half, keeping the Gonzaga lead near the 20-point mark for a majority of the frame; however, the Bulldogs pulled away in the final seven minutes of the game for the 31-point victory.
 
North Dakota remains on the road for its second of three straight away from Grand Forks on Sunday afternoon at Valparaiso. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.
 
NOTES: UND falls to 0-6 all-time vs. Gonzaga … Filip Rebraca's double-double is the fourth of his career and marks the first time since Drick Bernstine (Feb. 2016) that a UND player has recorded a double-double in back-to-back games … The No. 8 ranking by Gonzaga is the highest in a regular season game in the Division I era and the highest since the No. 3 ranking held by Kansas in 2001 … UND falls to 0-11 against ranked opponents since 2000.