No. 13 Gonzaga pulls away in the 2nd half to beat Nicholls 102-72
Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg (33) blocks a shot by Nicholls State guard Robert Brown III during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Spokane, Wash. Credit: AP/Young Kwak
SPOKANE, Wash. — Braden Huff scored 25 points off the bench and No. 13 Gonzaga overcame a slow start to roll past Nicholls 102-72 on Wednesday night.
Graham Ike added 20 points and six rebounds, and Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 10 assists to help the Bulldogs (8-3) bounce back from a 77-71 loss last week to No. 11 UConn at Madison Square Garden.
Bryon Ireland led Nicholls (7-5) with 16 points, including eight in the first half.
Gonzaga didn’t make a 3-pointer for nearly 15 minutes but surged ahead with a 22-4 run over the final seven minutes of the half. Huff sparked the run with back-to-back layups, followed by Ike’s 3-pointer — the team’s first of the game. Nembhard added another 3-pointer in the final minute, giving the Zags a 43-29 lead at halftime.
Takeaways
Gonzaga: After 28 days away from home and two high-profile losses, the Bulldogs shot 64.8% from the field and 88.9% at the free-throw line to grind out their first win of December.
Nicholls: The Colonels hung around with a national powerhouse for most of the first half.
Key stat
After making six 3-pointers and shooting below 38% from beyond the arc in each of their last four games, the Zags made eight 3-pointers on a 47.1% clip against the Colonels.
Gonzaga forward Graham Ike (13) grabs a rebound next to Nicholls State forward Mekhi Collins during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Spokane, Wash. Credit: AP/Young Kwak
Up next
Nicholls is at Seattle on Dec. 30. Gonzaga hosts Bucknell on Saturday.
