STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga's
Ryan Nembhard broke his own single season assist program record in a 78-61 win at Pacific Saturday.
Nembhard needed six assists to pass the record he set last season with 243. He finished with eight assists against the Tigers. The senior continues to lead the country in assists with 246, and in assists per game at 9.84. He is second in the nation with a 4.39 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Braden Huff led five Bulldogs (18-7, 9-3 West Coast Conference) in double-digit scoring with 17 points. He was 7-of-10 from the field off the bench.
Khalif Battle added 16 points, making all nine of his free-throws.
Graham Ike and
Nolan Hickman added 13 and 12 points.
Michael Ajayi had a near double-double of 10 points and game-high nine rebounds. Hickman matched his career-high of four steals, and
Ben Gregg matched his career-high of five assists.
The Zags forced 15 turnovers in a game that they trailed for only 21 seconds after Pacific (8-19, 3-10 WCC) scored the opening basket. The game had no ties. GU led 35-20 at the break. Gonzaga extended its lead to 55-30 during the second half, fueled by an 11-2 scoring run. The Bulldogs had their largest lead of 28 points with 10:21 left in regulation.
Gonzaga held its fifth straight opponent under 63 points and 41 percent shooting from the field.
Lamar Washington finished with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers. Elias Ralph added 10 points and two steals for Pacific. Elijah Fisher had nine points.
Up next
Gonzaga is back at home against San Francisco (20-6, 10-3) Thursday. The Dons held off Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles Saturday, 72-66.
More to come ...
