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Gonzaga Bulldogs 88, Arizona State Sun Devils 80: Live updates recap, highlights from men's college basketball game

Bulldogs held off the Sun Devils in a Sunday matinee from the McCarthey Athletic Center

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga senior Michael Ajayi.
Gonzaga senior Michael Ajayi. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford
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The Gonzaga men's basketball team fended off Arizona State, 88-80, Sunday afternoon at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (2-0) were led by Braden Huff's 21 points. The 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore converted on a few clutch baskets down the stretch to help hold off the Sun Devils (2-1), who led by four points midway through the second half.

Khalif Battle added 19 points. The 6-foot-5 guard knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the second half and threw down an emphatic dunk to spark the Zags' offense in crunch time. Ryan Nembhard had another double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.

Jihad Basheer led Arizona State with 20 points, while Alston Mason had 19 points. Jayden Quaintaince fouled out in 28 minutes of play. Adam Miller had eight points.

Here is the live updates recap.

FINAL:

Gonzaga 88, Arizona State 80

SECOND HALF:

Gonzaga 80, Arizona State 76 (45.4 seconds): Huff connected on a hookshot from the low block to make it a 6-point game with 1:51 left. The 6-foot-10 post led all scorers with 19 points.

Gonzaga 78, Arizona State (2:09): Battle somehow found the corner of the backboard for a 3-pointer in front of Gonzaga's student section, extending the Bulldogs' lead to five points.

Gonzaga 69, Arizona State 69 (5:53): Battle brought the house down with an emphatic windmill dunk in transition, followed by a 3-pointer from Nembhard to make it a tied game with under six minutes to play. Arizona State hung in with three straight scores in the paint.

Arizona State 63, Gonzaga 59 (9:20): Freeman and Miller knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Sun Devils ahead by four points midway through the second half.

Gonzaga 56, Arizona State 55 (11:24): The Bulldogs rattled off an 8-0 scoring run to take a 6-point lead with 14:30 left, though the Sun Devils had a response ready. Jihad nailed a 3-pointer, followed by a 3-point play the old-fashioned way shortly after, to get Arizona State back within one.

Gonzaga 48, Arizona State 47 (15:35): Battle caught fire from deep to start the second half. The 6-foot-5 guard drilled a pair of 3-pointers to spark the Bulldogs, though the Sun Devils responded with a triple of their own from Mason.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 38, Arizona State 38: The Bulldogs and Sun Devils went in the locker tied after Ali's attempt at the buzzer went down. Gonzaga scored five points over the last 1:17, as Nembhard connected on a jumper followed by a 3-pointer from Stromer at the top of the arc. Huff's 10 points led all scorers. Quaintance had nine for Arizona State.

1ST HALF:

Gonzaga 31, Arizona State 30 (3:21): Mason capped off a 7-0 scoring run for the Sun Devils with a transition layup around Nembhard following a missed shot attempt from Ajayi.

Gonzaga 24, Arizona State 18 (7:53): The Bulldogs' offense continued to click through the high post. Huff looked off an Arizona State defender before finding Ajayi underneath for a score to extend Gonzaga's first half lead. Quaintance beat Huff for a bucket moments later on the other end of the floor.

Gonzaga 19, Arizona State 14 (11:09): The Nembhard-Huff connection in the pick-and-roll sparked a 6-0 scoring run for the Zags as they jumped out in front over the Sun Devils. Ajayi's presence on the defensive end slowed down Quaintance, whose turnover midway through the first half led to a transition layup for Hickman.

Arizona State 8, Gonzaga 7 (14:51): Bulldogs struggled out of the gate with a pair of turnovers before settling in against the Sun Devils. Ike got a score in transition to get the ball rolling, as the Zags looked for their 6-foot-9 forward early and often.

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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