SPOKANE, Wash. – Three Gonzaga players finished with double-doubles and the Bulldogs outlasted San Francisco, 88-77, in the McCarthey Athletic Center Thursday.
The Zags (19-7, 10-3 West Coast Conference) won their third straight game and moved into sole possession of second place in the league standings. USF (20-7, 10-4 WCC) slid into third.
Five GU players scored in double-digits, with a sixth at nine points.
Graham Ike finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while
Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 13 assists. Nembhard, the nation's leader in assists, is fifth in West Coast Conference history with 258 assists this season, 26 away from the league record.
Michael Ajayi had 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Gonzaga.
Braden Huff and
Ben Gregg added 12 and 11 points.
San Francisco scored the first seven points of the game and led for 17 minutes in the first half. The Dons were paced by Malik Thomas, the conference's leader in scoring, with a game-high 25 points. Ryan Beasley added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Tyrone Riley IV and Carlton Linguard Jr. scored 11 and 10 points. Marcus Williams had nine points and eight assists.
In last season's three meetings between the programs, GU led twice at halftime by one, and the Dons led the other matchup by one at the break. Thursday's game was tied at the half, 38-38. In all three games last season, the Zags opened the second half on big runs en route to victories. Gonzaga started Thursday's second half on a 20-8 run to create separation.
The Bulldogs outrebounded USF 41-28 and outscored the Dons in the paint 52-30. GU finished with 22 assists on its 34 made shots from the field. The Zags made 52.3 percent from the field, while San Francisco finished at 43.3 percent.
Up next
Gonzaga remains at home Saturday to host Pepperdine (10-16, 4-9). The Waves beat San Diego at home Thursday, 88-81. GU won the first matchup this season over Pepperdine in Malibu on Dec. 30, 89-82. The Bulldogs are one win from clinching the program's 28th straight 20-win season.
