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Gonzaga Bulldogs 89, Indiana Hoosiers 73: Live updates recap, highlights from Battle 4 Atlantis game

Bulldogs beat the Hoosiers to advance to fifth-place game

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) celebrates with Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33).
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) celebrates with Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33). / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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Less than 24 hours removed from their dramatic loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Gonzaga Bulldogs responded from their first letdown of the season with an emphatic 89-73 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in the Battle 4 Atlantis consolation bracket on Thursday.

Six players scored in double figures for the Zags (6-1), who went on a 21-2 scoring run after the Hoosiers made it a 1-point game around the 9-minute mark in the first half. Led by Khalif Battle, Gonzaga scored 57 points before halftime, a season-best, and held Indiana to 12-of-31 (38.7%) from the field to lead by 18 points at halftime. The Bulldogs outscored the Hoosiers 23-4 in second-chance points.

Former Gonzaga center Oumar Ballo led Indiana with 25 points on 11-of-13 from the field. Mackenzie Mgbako chipped in 13 points.

Gonzaga will play the winner of Providence/Davidson in the fifth-place game on Friday at 5:30 PST/8:30 p.m. EST.

Here is the live updates recap:

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FINAL: Gonzaga 89, Indiana 73

2ND HALF

Gonzaga 85, Indiana 66 (3:19): Chants of Gonzaga's fight song have broke out at Imperial Arena as the Bulldogs look to put the finishing touches on their first win in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Graham Ike recovered a loose rebound and found Ryan Nembhard, who then dished up his second alley-oop of the afternoon to Khalif Battle in transition.

Gonzaga 76, Indiana 58 (7:00): Both sides have reached an impasse in the second half. The Bulldogs haven't made a field goal in over five minutes, while the Hoosiers' last score came nearly two and a half minutes ago. Michael Ajayi and Ben Gregg have gotten the job done at the free-throw line.

Gonzaga 70, Indiana 55 (9:53): Officials are reviewing a foul on Indiana's Myles Rice, who gave Ben Gregg a hard hip check on his way to the basket after setting a screen.

Gonzaga 70, Indiana 51 (11:30): Nolan Hickman fueled the Bulldogs offense coming out of the halftime, scoring 10 of the team's first 13 points of the second half. After getting a tough bank shot to go, the senior guard nailed his second 3-pointer of the half to keep the Zags out in front comfortably.

Gonzaga 64, Indiana 43 (15:27): The Bulldogs maintained control on the scoreboard but the fouls have started to rack up for Mark Few's team. Graham Ike sits at four personal fouls, while Braden Huff, Dusty Stromer and Michael Ajayi have three apiece. Gonzaga has been whistled for six fouls already this half.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 57, Indiana 39: What a response from Mark Few and company following a tough loss in the Atlantis opener. The Bulldogs went on a 21-2 scoring run after the Hoosiers made it a 2-point game with 8:11 left in the first half. Khalif Battle got going with 14 points, while Ben Gregg added 11 points. Michael Ajayi sparked some energy into the Bulldogs with nine points and six rebounds. Gonzaga outscored Indiana 36-14 in the paint despite a hot first half from Oumar Ballo, who had 19 points at halftime but was on the bench for a key stretch in the first half.

1ST HALF

Gonzaga 47, Indiana 31 (3:25): Braden Huff makes it 14 unanswered points for the Bulldogs with a soft left-handed push shot in the paint off an assist from Khalif Battle, who leads his team with 11 points thus far. All the momentum is in favor of Gonzaga at the moment.

Gonzaga 43, Indiana 31 (4:57): The Bulldogs got back in front by double-digits following a 10-0 scoring run. The Hoosiers went scoreless for over three minutes while Khalif Battle and company took advantage of their opportunities in transition. Ryan Nembhard found the 6-foot-5 guard for an alley-oop in transition.

Gonzaga 35, Indiana 31 (7:15): The Zags and Hoosiers go shot-for-shot as each tries to gain some sort of momentum to close the first half. Gonzaga nearly committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions, though a busted play ended in a 3-pointer for Nolan Hickman to push Gonzaga out in front by four points. Oumar Ballo has 17 of his team's 31 points.

Gonzaga 21, Indiana 18 (11:53): Oumar Ballo's hot start on both ends sparked a 15-3 scoring run to put the Hoosiers ahead 18-16 at the 13:15 mark, though the Bulldogs didn't waiver. Rather than call timeout, Mark Few let his guys fight back with an and-1 from Khalif Battle, then a follow-up putback from Michael Ajayi.

Gonzaga 13, Indiana 6 (15:53): Michael Ajayi gets on the board with a sweeping layup through contact for the and-1 finish, putting the Zags up double-digits over the Hoosiers. Oumar Ballo responded against his former team with a 3-point play over Braden Huff, followed by an emphatic rejection of Nolan Hickman moments later. Ballo has all of Indiana's points thus far.

Gonzaga 8, Indiana 1 (17:16): Officials assess Flagrant 1 fouls to Graham Ike and Mackenzie Mgbako after the two exchanged pleasantries during free throws.

Gonzaga 6, Indiana 0 (18:28): The Zags wasted no time putting Wednesday's loss behind them, as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead off three scores in the paint. The Hoosiers started 0-of-2 from the field with two turnovers.

PREGAME:

Game time update: Tip time pushed to 11:50 a.m. PST/2:50 p.m. EST on ESPN2

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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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