SPOKANE, Wash. – Khalif Battle's 24 points led Gonzaga past Loyola Marymount 73-53 Thursday.
 
The Bulldogs (17-7, 8-3 West Coast Conference) trailed 46-45 at the 10:27 mark of the second half, before going on a 28-5 run to put the game away. GU led for 36 minutes in a game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes. Gonzaga led 27-24 at halftime.
 
The Zags held their fourth straight opponent under 63 points and 39 percent shooting from the field. Gonzaga limited the Lions to 34.5 percent from the field, including 4-of-22 from behind the arc.
 
The nation's leader in assists, Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard, moved to second in program history with 238 assists this season. He is six assists away from breaking his own school record for most in a single season set last year with 243. The senior finished with nine assists to one turnover Thursday, along with 15 points.
 
Battle broke a McCarthey Athletic Center record making 15 of his 16 free throw attempts. Braden Huff added 14 points for the Bulldogs, while Graham Ike had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Caleb Stone-Carrawell led the way for the Lions (14-9, 6-5 WCC) with 20 points. Loyola Marymount also got 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks from Jevon Porter. The Lions entered the game with the program's first five-game win streak since 1991.
 
Gonzaga outrebounded LMU 43-30, and outscored the Lions 42-20 in the paint.
 
Up next
Gonzaga returns to the road and plays at Pacific (8-18, 3-9) Saturday at 5 p.m. The Tigers beat San Diego Thursday, 71-69.