Despite sore hip, Nigel Williams-Goss leads Gonzaga in front of friends, family in Portland

PORTLAND – Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss was in a hurry after Monday’s 83-64 victory over Portland, but he had good reason.

More than 20 friends and relatives, including his grandmother, were waiting to see him in the Chiles Center lobby.

Williams-Goss played 26 minutes, two days after taking a nasty spill on his hip that put his status in question for Monday’s rematch against the Pilots.

“I knew it would have to be really, really bad for me not to play,” said Williams-Goss, who grew up in Happy Valley, about 15 minutes from the Portland campus. “It’s a little sore but it was a pretty hard fall and it was just two days ago so I knew it wouldn’t be 100 percent.”

Williams-Goss played a team-high 19 minutes in the first half. He struggled with his shot, finishing with four points. His five assists shared team-high honors with Przemek Karnowski.

“He certainly wasn’t at full strength, but he wanted to play, especially being from down here,” coach Mark Few said. “He did a nice job stepping up and competing.”