Critical for Gonzaga in the last two months of the regular season is the production of Gonzaga senior guard Silas Melson, who is an asset on both sides of the court for the 15th-ranked Bulldogs.
His shooting ability helped Gonzaga (15-3, 5-0 West Coast Conference) against Portland's 2/3 zone on Thursday night in a 103-57 win.
He continues to draw the toughest perimeter assignment defensively. That will again be the case when Gonzaga plays at San Francisco (10-8, 2-3) on Saturday.
Melson is expected to be the primary defender against the Dons' leading scorer, guard Souley Boum, one of the top freshmen in the conference.