Gonzaga 105, San Diego 63: Live updates, highlights from WCC men's basketball game
The Gonzaga men's basketball team wrapped up its West Coast Conference road trip with a 105-63 blowout over San Diego at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (13-5, 4-1 WCC) built off a strong second half against Pepperdine on Thursday to put away the Toreros earlier on Saturday, as they shot 21-of-33 (63.6%) from the field to lead by 27 points at the break.
Six players finished in double-figures for Gonzaga, led by a career-high 26 points from Braden Huff. The redshirt freshman shot 12-of-17 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds in just 20 minutes off the bench. Ryan Nembhard had his second double-double of his career with 12 points and 12 assists.
The Toreros (10-10, 0-5 WCC) struggled with their leading scorer Deuce Turner held to five points in 18 minutes off the bench. Turner missed the last game with an undisclosed injury. Wayne McKinney III led with 17 points and five rebounds.
San Diego hadn't lost its first five games in WCC play since the 2003-04 season.
Gonzaga has won 18 consecutive over San Diego, including a 101-74 triumph at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Jan. 6. Ben Gregg had a career-high 22 points and four steals, as the Bulldogs scored 27 points off 19 turnovers.
Here are the live updates:
FINAL: Gonzaga 105, San Diego 63
SECOND HALF:
Gonzaga 95, San Diego 59 (3:57): Mark Few unloaded his bench to close out Gonzaga's 18th-straight win over San Diego. Colby Brooks, Joe Few and Jun Seok Yeo checked in with Huff and Stromer still on the floor. Huff set a new career high with 26 points on 12-for-17 shooting.
Gonzaga 88, San Diego 49 (7:48): The Jenny Craig Pavilion turned into a track meet for the Bulldogs with Nembhard out in front. The junior point guard recorded his second-career double-double after hitting Gregg for a trail 3-pointer from the top of the arc. The next possession, he zipped a bounce pass to Huff underneath for his 20th point of the night.
Gonzaga 77, San Diego 44 (11:25): Bulldogs continued to roll into the second half, extending their lead to beyond 30 after Stromer knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night on a skip pass from Gregg in the opposite corner. Hickman drilled a triple from the same spot the possesion prior courtesy of a drive and kick from Nembhard, who started with nine assists.
Gonzaga 64, San Diego 38 (15:46): Gonzaga kept up the blistering pace out of the locker room. Nembhard pushed the pace after a miss from Patton Jr., as the Bulldogs' lead guard stopped on a dime and accelerated again for a layup. Gregg got a second-chance putback the next time down.
HALFTIME: Gonzaga 54, San Diego 27: Bulldogs carried over their strong finish against Pepperdine with them to San Diego, as they went into the locker room shooting 63.6% from the field and scoring 30 points in the paint. Huff led all scorers with 18 points in just 12 minutes off the bench. Turner had five points on 1-for-6 shooting after checking in at the 8:52 mark.
FIRST HALF:
Gonzaga 45, San Diego 23 (3:09): The Toreros weathered the storm for a moment, as McKinney III got an and-one over Gregg to break the lid off San Diego's rim.
Gonzaga 40, San Diego 18 (6:53): Gonzaga pulled away early courtesy of a 25-2 scoring run. Huff nearly outscored the Toreros himself after checking in at the 12:43 mark, as the redshirt freshman scored 12 quick points as the focal point of the offense. The Bulldogs started 16-of-21 from the field.
Gonzaga 18, San Diego 9 (12:43): Bulldogs turned defense into offense to jumpstart a 12-2 scoring spurt. Dusty Stromer knocked down Gonzaga's first 3-pointer from the left wing to bust San Diego's 2-3 zone defense, followed by a block by Hickman on Turner. Hickman finished with a floater seconds later.
San Diego 7, Gonzaga 5 (15:46): Both sides come out sluggish to start, as the Bulldogs committed two turnovers in the paint while the Toreros struggled to finish at the rim. PJ Hayes knocked down the game's first 3-pointer.
