Gonzaga vs. North Dakota State: Score, Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Gonzaga made a name for itself with a couple of Cinderella runs in its past, but it played the part of favorite perfectly Friday.

The No. 2-seeded Bulldogs from the South Region took care of business against No. 15 seed North Dakota State with an 86-76 victory.

Kyle Wiltjer led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds, but it was Kevin Pangos who drilled multiple three-pointers in the final minutes to put the game away. 

Dexter Werner of North Dakota State spearheaded the Bison's attack with a career-high 22 points off the bench. While his efforts were ultimately in a losing affair, he kept his team afloat during the second half and helped keep the Bison within striking distance.

Gonzaga took control of the game in the early going in front of a boisterous crowd. The Bulldogs seized a 43-30 lead at halftime, thanks largely to the contributions of Gary Bell Jr. and Wiltjer.

Nick Eaton of SeattlePi.com noted that the Seattle location was particularly important for the hometown Bell, and he was playing to the crowd after some impressive plays in the first half.

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However, it was Bell's defense that helped Gonzaga control the first 20 minutes, as Darnay Tripp of KREM 2 in Spokane pointed out: "Gary Bell Jr.'s defense man, so fun to watch."

However, it wasn't all great news for the Bulldogs in the first half, as Percy Allen of the Seattle Times passed along: "Mark Few wondering how backup NDSU big man Dexter Werner is killing Gonzaga bigs inside with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting."

The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off in the second half and extended the lead to 55-40.

Kevin Pangos drilled a three, which was somewhat confusing to Michael Baumann of Grantland: "How is Kevin Pangos, who is 29 years old and has been at Gonzaga since 2003, still playing college ball?"

However, North Dakota State didn't get the memo from there that it was supposed to roll over and went on an extended run to trim the lead to 57-48.

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Tripp was impressed with the proceedings: "Bison are hitting shots. Many contested. Impressive stretch to get back into the game when it was close to a 20-point deficit."

ESPN's Myron Medcalf took the time to praise Werner, who played the game of his life, during the run. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports noted that "Dexter Werner looks like he should be bouncing at a country bar, not lighting up a top ten team in the NCAA tournament."

The Bison creeped back into the game even more when they made it 57-51, but the Zags quickly seized momentum back with a spurt of their own. Tripp noted that Wiltjer added a nice hook shot to his arsenal to stretch the lead back to 66-56.

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While Wiltjer lit up the scorecard, it was Pangos who hit multiple three-pointers down the stretch with the game still in the balance. He scored nine of Gonzaga's 11 points during a second-half run to push the lead back to an insurmountable 79-64 advantage with three minutes left.

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune put it in simple terms: "Apparently, Kevin Pangos has had enough of North Dakota State."

Pangos' individual run was more than enough for the favored Zags, and they finished it off with an 86-76 victory.

What's Next?

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Next up for Gonzaga is a showdown with No. 7 seed Iowa Sunday.

On paper, the Bulldogs should win that game, especially since it is close to home in Seattle, but the Hawkeyes looked excellent Friday in a dominating victory over Davidson.

Aaron White in particular was excellent Friday and could pose a problem for the Bulldogs if he stretches the defense with his perimeter shooting and controls the boards on the defensive end.

Still, Gonzaga has turned in an incredible season and has a golden opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16 (and beyond). Look for it to control the contest in front of a partial crowd and take the next step toward reaching its first Final Four in program history.

The Bulldogs will certainly be taking it one game at a time given Przemek Karnowski's quote (via Christian Caple of The News Tribune): 

"

You cannot think ahead — ‘What’s going to happen if we win this, or if we win two more?’ You cannot ask those questions. All that should be on your mind right now, is ‘You’ve got to play tomorrow,’ and tomorrow is the game. If you play bad, maybe you won’t play a game on Sunday.

"

That is the formula in March.