Gonzaga Bulldogs 70, Saint Mary's Gaels 57: Live updates recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game [3/2/24]
The Gonzaga Bulldogs left little in doubt on their way to a 70-57 win over the Saint Mary's Gaels in Moraga, California, on Saturday.
Graham Ike was dominant once again with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Ryan Nembhard added 20 points and 10 assists and Gonzaga (24-6, 14-2 WCC) shot 51.7% from the field against the West Coast Conference's No. 1 defense.
The Bulldogs led by double-digits for much of the night after they rattled off an 14-0 scoring run early in the first half to take a 24-12 lead at the 9:29 mark. Gonzaga was 18-of-28 from the field in the first half and made 14 of its last 16 field goal attempts before halftime. Ike and Nembhard couldn't be stopped, as they combined for 27 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
Saint Mary's (24-7, 15-1 WCC) had its 16-game win streak snapped after it shot 37.3% from the field, its worst shooting clip on its home floor this season, and committed 13 turnovers that led to 13 points the other way for the Zags. The Gaels cut the deficit to eight points early in the second half, though back-to-back turnovers made it 52-38.
Aidan Mahaney led the team with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
Saturday was the 13th time Gonzaga and Saint Mary's square off with both ranked in the AP Top 25. The Zags improved to 11-2 in such meetings and have won 26 of the last 32 overall.
Here is the live updates recap:
FINAL: Gonzaga 70, Saint Mary's 57
SECOND HALF:
Gonzaga 70, Saint Mary's 57 (1:30): Nembhard blew by his defender to score his 20th point of the night, his first 20-10 game of his career as the Bulldogs looked to close out the Gaels.
Gonzaga 66, Saint Mary's 52 (3:34): Ike halted a 6-0 scoring run from the Gaels with a putback off a miss from Hickman to keep the Bulldogs ahead comfortably down the stretch.
Gonzaga 64, Saint Mary's 46 (7:06): Nembhard got his 10th assist of the night and fourth double-double of the season on a sweet behind-the-back dime to Ike for a score in the paint. Gonzaga's floor general knocked down a midrange jumper the possession prior. Saint Mary's struggled to score over a three-minute span during Gonzaga's 7-0 scoring run.
Gonzaga 60, Saint Mary's 46 (9:41): Marciulionis drilled a 3-pointer, followed by a nice feed from Mahaney to Saxen for another two points to spark life into the Gaels. Nembhard silenced the crowd moments later with a 3-pointer.
Gonzaga 52, Saint Mary's 38 (15:18): Bulldogs responded to the Gaels' strong start with a 6-0 scoring run of their own, as back-to-back turnovers from Marciulionis and Forbes led to quick scores in transition for Hickman and Gregg.
Gonzaga 46, Saint Mary's 35 (17:59): Gaels seized momentum early in the second half with a 7-0 scoring run following a score from Ike on the Bulldogs' first possession. Mark Few called timeout after Mahaney's layup.
HALFTIME: Gonzaga 44, Saint Mary's 28: Bulldogs rode a 16-point lead into the locker room after shooting 64.3% from the field against the No. 1 defense in the WCC. Nembhard and Ike combined for 27 points while Hickman dished out five assists without a turnover. The Gaels struggled against the ball-screen pressure from Gonzaga, as they committed seven turnovers and shot 36.7% from the field.
FIRST HALF:
Gonzaga 38, Saint Mary's 23 (3:43): Nembhard asserted his will on the Gaels in the first half with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting early on. Gonzaga extended its lead to 17 before Ike checked back in following a strong five minutes on both ends from Huff.
Gonzaga 36, Saint Mary's 19 (5:08): Bulldogs created a lot of open looks on the perimeter with Nembhard and Hickman controlling the pace. Gregg drilled the team's fourth triple of the night to cap a 7-0 scoring run before a Saint Mary's timeout.
Gonzaga 26, Saint Mary's 15 (8:20): Ducas ended the Gaels' scoring drought with a triple in front of Gonzaga's bench. Nembhard continued to attack the paint with his fourth field goal of the night to keep the Bulldogs ahead by double-digits.
Gonzaga 24, Saint Mary's 12 (9:25): Back-to-back turnovers from the Gaels turn into five points going the other way for the Bulldogs, as Dusty Stromer drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to force a timeout.
Gonzaga 17, Saint Mary's 12 (10:27): Nembhard drilled a 3-pointer in transition following a miss from Mahaney to cap off a 7-0 scoring run from the Bulldogs. Nembhard got a floater to drop followed by a bullet pass to Gregg for a score.
Saint Mary's 6, Gonzaga 5 (15:13): Ducas canned a 3-pointer for the game's first basket before Gonzaga scored five-straight points, including an and-one for Ike off a dime from Nembhard. Both teams combined to go 4-of-13 from the floor.
