RIO DE JANEIRO -- The stakes are high, and failure is the most likely result.Skip it off the wrong patch of water, and it goes sailing over the goal. Misfire on a lob, and the goaltender grabs it with ease. Watch out for the forest of arms in front of the cage, or its all over before it even begins.When it comes to Olympic water polo, players have a myriad of options when shooting on the worlds best goaltenders and precious little time to make a decision. They rely on a mix of intuition and an almost instantaneous assessment of the landscape when deciding which option to take.In a game Im shooting so many times and Im shooting in stress situations, sometimes when Im tired, sometimes when Im fresh, and you start learning about situations, U.S. captain Tony Azevedo said. So if I catch a ball, I see how the goalie is and then I know I am going to use this shot. Things start to come naturally.If I have to actually think about what I am going to shoot, thats when it starts getting scary.While centers are close enough to tip the ball and there are occasional backhands right in front of the goal, most shots can be broken down into one of three categories: skip, lob or a throw straight toward the net.Skips are tough for goaltenders to read, but they are a tricky proposition in the churning water. Finding a path clear of defenders also is a challenge.My coach in Italy last year insisted on skip shots because he said if youre shooting for an upper corner you can miss by a centimeter and you miss, U.S. attacker Josh Samuels said. If youre shooting for a skip shot, you can miss by a meter and it can still go in. Theres some truth to that.You hate it when it goes flying over the goal, but theres no fear in shooting a skip shot versus shooting for the upper corner. It just depends on the game.If the goaltender comes out too much or at the wrong time, players try to float the ball over the goalie for the score. A good center can help create more lob opportunities with an offensive presence in front, forcing the goaltender to address the situation.Deception and touch are key. Samuels, who scored 176 goals at UCLA, described himself as a terrible lobber.You want to draw the goalie up so when you lob it he cant move backwards, he said. Thats a unique challenge.Scouting also plays a role in which shots are used. The players know the goaltenders strengths and weaknesses coming into the game. For example, its tough to lob over the United States Ashleigh Johnson, with her long arms and 6-foot-1 frame.We have tons of tendencies, like individual tendencies that we do, our go-tos that we like to shoot, U.S. attacker Kaleigh Gilchrist said. 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SPOKANE, Wash. -- Jordan Mathews missed a couple of shots early in No. 14 Gonzagas game against San Diego State.The guys said keep shooting, Mathews said.So he did.Mathews scored 17 points, going 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, and the Bulldogs beat San Diego State 69-48 while holding the Aztecs to 28 percent shooting Monday night.We executed our game plan, made them do what we wanted them to do, Mathews said.Zach Collins added 15 points and Nigel Williams-Goss 10 for Gonzaga (2-0) in the ESPN College Hoops Marathon game.Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley each had 14 points for San Diego State (1-1).The teams, which last played in 2010, have been among the most successful in the West in recent years. But on this night the Aztecs had trouble scoring, making only 16 of 56 shots and going long periods without a basket.Weve been working on that zone for a while, Mathews said about Gonzagas defense. It makes it really hard for anybody to score on us.Gonzaga won despite shooting just 39 percent.The defense was awesome, coach Mark Few said. They were flying around and anticipating, helping each other.Mathews is a graduate transfer from California who did not arrive on campus until September.On game night he raises his game up, Few said.San Diego State coach Steve Fisher thought the Aztecs hurt themselves.We lost our mental capacity to think at the offensive end, Fisher said.Everything we did was too fast, he added. It looked like we were trying to score 10 points in one possession, and you cant do that. We helped do ourselves in.The Aztecs made only five of their first 21 shots and fell behind 23-12.Mathews had a dunk and a 3-pointer during a 9-0 run to lift Gonzaga to a 344-17 lead.ddddddddddddGonzaga led 36-21 at halftime after holding the Aztecs to 20 percent shooting. They did not have a field goal in the final 6:27 of the first.We played a team tonight that is just as good as any team in the country, Fisher said. So in order for us to hang tough, you have to be able to shoot better than 20 percent.After San Diego State got within 10, Mathews sank a trio of 3-pointers in the span of a couple of minutes to push Gonzagas lead to 45-29.The Zags followed that with a 16-0 run, getting three baskets from Collins, for a 61-31 lead. The Aztecs were scoreless for more than 9 minutes, missing 11 shots from the field, and did not threaten again.POLL IMPLICATIONSSan Diego State was receiving votes in The Associated Press Top 25, but likely will get fewer now. ... Gonzaga has been No. 14 for two straight weeks and might move up.NO ASSISTSSan Diego State did not have an assist in the first half and wound up with only five in the game on 16 field goals. Gonzaga had 16 assists.BIG PICTURESan Diego State: The Aztecs came in with three straight victories in Spokane, beating Gonzaga in 2010 and winning two NCAA Tournament games here in 2014. But they couldnt muster much offense against the Zags.Gonzaga: A good early-season test for the Bulldogs, who proved they can beat a strong defensive team. Their 2010 loss to San Diego State was only their fifth home loss in the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004.UP NEXTSan Diego State hosts San Diego Christian on Wednesday.Gonzaga hosts Bryant on Friday. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Hoodies Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys ' ' '