Gonzaga Bulldogs 82, Pacific Tigers 73: Live score recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game
The Gonzaga men's basketball continued its winning ways in an 80-70 win over Pacific in Stockton, California, on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (15-5, 6-1 WCC) overcame a sloppy first half in which they shot 2-for-11 on 3-point attempts and trailed the Tigers at the break after Moe Odum drained a triple at the buzzer. The offense struggled with Graham Ike and Anton Watson in foul trouble early, though Ben Gregg and Braden Huff combined to score the last 10 points to keep things afloat.
Ike made his presence felt early in the second half as he fueled Gonzaga on a 12-2 scoring run to make it 51-41 at the 12:27 mark. The 6-foot-9 post had 20 points on the night, 18 of which came after halftime.
The Waves responded with an 11-2 scoring run to take a 54-53 lead at the 8:16 mark on a score from Nick Blake. Donovan Williams, who led with 14 points, and Cam Denson put the foul pressure on Gonzaga's bigs with strong drives to the rim.
The Tigers dared the Bulldogs to settle for long-range jumpers with a 2-3 zone defense down the stretch, though the gamble backfired. Gonzaga went 6-for-11 from downtown in the second half. Nolan Hickman stole a pass from Odum, raced upcourt and stopped on a dime just behind the 3-point line and drilled a 3-pointer to help spark a 16-5 run that ended up being just enough momentum to outlast the Tigers' late push.
Gonzaga has won 20-straight head-to-head meetings over Pacific and 22 of the last 23 overall.
Here is the live updates recap:
FINAL: Gonzaga 82, Pacific 73
SECOND HALF:
Gonzaga 76, Pacific 66 (0:58): Bulldogs took advantage of their size down low through Ike, who extended the lead to 13 after another score in the post.
Gonzaga 69, Pacific 61 (3:35): Nembhard knocked down the Bulldogs' sixth 3-pointer of the night after Martindale drilled a triple for the Tigers the possession prior.
Gonzaga 66, Pacific 58 (4:42): Gonzaga answered the call from behind the arc to break Pacific's zone defense. After Gregg and Nembhard, Hickman connected on a 3-pointer in transition to make it an 8-point game.
Gonzaga 56, Pacific 54 (7:30): Tigers responded with an 11-2 scoring run of their own. Nembhard stopped the bleeding for the Bulldogs with his first 3-pointer of the night. Watson sat after picking up his fourth foul at the 9:34 mark.
Gonzaga 51, Pacific 45 (11:28): Bulldogs gained some breathing room with a 12-2 scoring run, capped off by Ike's sixth field goal of the night. Tigers responded with back-to-back scores from Cam Denson and Donovan Williams.
Gonzaga 44, Pacific 39 (15:48): After sitting due to foul trouble for most of the first half, Ike came out of halftime hot with seven quick points in the post. Watson picked up his third foul on a blocking foul.
HALFTIME: Pacific 35, Gonzaga 34: Odum's second 3-pointer of the night at the horn sent the Tigers into the locker room with a lead. The Bulldogs struggled offensively, though Gregg and Huff kept things afloat as they combined to score the last 10 points of the half. Gregg and Hickman led with eight points apiece.
FIRST HALF:
Gonzaga 34, Pacific 32 (0:40): Huff snuck past the Tigers defense for a two-handed dunk after a 3-pointer from Odum.
Gonzaga 26, Pacific 24 (3:31): Tigers interior defense kept the Bulldogs from extending their lead. Dusty Stromer had a nice cut on the baseline denied, resulting in a turnover, followed by a block from Makai Richards on Braden Huff.
Gonzaga 19, Pacific 19 (7:33): Hickman sparked Gonzaga with back-to-back 3-pointers. Nick Blake knocked down a midrange jumper over Stromer, followed by a jumpshot from Nembhard coming off a screen in response.
Pacific 11, Gonzaga 9 (11:49): Tigers spread the Bulldogs' defense out with Odum running the show. Gonzaga continued to struggle with turnovers early.
Pacific 5, Gonzaga 2 (15:14): Bulldogs' halfcourt offense stalled out of the gate, as they missed four of their first five field goal attempts and committed two turnovers. Ike had to sit with two fouls after picking up his second at the 16:09 mark.
