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Kentucky Wildcats 90, Gonzaga Bulldogs 89: Live updates recap, highlights from 2024 Battle in Seattle

Wildcats pull off 18-point comeback to stun the Bulldogs in Seattle

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs fell to the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats, 90-89, in an overtime thriller from Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

The Zags (7-2) led by 16 points at halftime and led by as many as 18 early in the second half before the Wildcats (8-1) stormed back with a 16-2 scoring run to make it a 3-point game midway through the second half. Gonzaga went just 11-of-28 (39.3%) from the field and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts in the second half, while Kentucky rode Andrew Carr (19 points) and Jaxson Robinson (18 points) to pull off the come-from-behind win.

Graham Ike led the Zags with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 assists. Ben Gregg added 14 points and seven boards off the bench.

Here is the live updates recap:

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FINAL: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89

Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (0:04): Jaxson Robinson got a wild fallaway floater to go to put Kentucky up four, only for Nolan Hickman's first 3-pointer of the night to cut it to a 1-point game again with less than five ticks on the clock.

Kentucky 88, Gonzaga 86 (0:32): Graham Ike missed his second shot at the charity stripe, as Kentucky has possession up 2 points with about 30 seconds left.

Kentucky 88, Gonzaga 85 (1:09): The Bulldogs lost track of Andrew Carr underneath the basket once again, as the Wildcats have scored all eight of their points in overtime in the paint.

Kentucky 86, Gonzaga 85 (1:34): Gonzaga hadn't made a 3-pointer since the 7:32 mark in the first half before it just drained back-to-back triples to make it a 1-point game with under two minutes in overtime.

Kentucky 83, Gonzaga 79 (4:06): The Bulldogs found themselves in a 4-point hole following another dunk from Amari Williams underneath.

END OF REGULATION: Gonzaga 79, Kentucky 79

2ND HALF:

Gonzaga 79, Kentucky 79 (0:24): Gonzaga couldn't pull ahead after Graham Ike missed a short turnaround shot from the baseline, resulting in Kentucky's ball and a timeout for Mark Pope and company.

Gonzaga 79, Kentucky 79 (0:58): After Graham Ike went 1-of-2 at the foul line, Andrew Carr got a fallaway jumper to go over Ben Gregg, tying the game with just under a minute to play in regulation.

Gonzaga 78, Kentucky 77 (1:29): Graham Ike found Ben Gregg along the baseline for a one-hand flush, though Jaxson Robinson answered with a fadeaway jumper over Ryan Nembhard. Quick timeout from Kentucky following the basket.

Gonzaga 76, Kentucky 71 (2:54): The Climate Pledge Crowd crowd is amped for the final three minutes of this top 10 matchup after Graham Ike awoke the Bulldogs fans with a strong and-one finish to make it a 5-point game with just under four minutes to play. The 6-foot-9 forward drilled another jumper a few moments later to bring his total up to 26 points on the night.

Gonzaga 65, Kentucky 59 (8:41): Ryan Nembhard finished off a transition opportunity off a Wildcats turnover, as Kerr Kriisa appeared to suffer a lower leg injury as he gave up the ball near midcourt in evident pain.

Gonzaga 63, Kentucky 59 (9:31): Ben Gregg provided the Zags a much-needed spark with a soft floater to snap the scoring drought, followed by a strong and-one finish through contact to make it a 6-point Gonzaga lead.

Gonzaga 58, Kentucky 55 (11:25): Koby Brea made it a 3-point game with his first triple of the night, extending Kentucky's run to 16-2 over the past six minutes. The Bulldogs looked much more disconnected on the defensive end than they did in the first half, while offensively they've failed to establish themselves in the paint.

Gonzaga 56, Kentucky 48 (15:32): The Bulldogs struggled to find the bottom of the net amid a 9-0 scoring run for the Wildcats, who made six of their first seven field goals to start the second half. Andrew Carr's layup at the 15:55 mark cut Kentucky's deficit to single-digits.

Gonzaga 56, Kentucky 46 (16:43): Amari Williams put down an easy two-hand dunk off a feed from Jaxson Robinson, prompting a timeout from the Bulldogs to regroup. Gonzaga led by 18 early in the half.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 50, Kentucky 34: Ryan Nembhard's stepback jumper capped off quite the first half on both ends of the floor for the Bulldogs, who went 19-of-35 (54.3%) from the field and held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final five minutes of the first half. Kentucky struggled to establish any presence down low, while Graham Ike fueled Gonzaga's offensive attack on the other end with a game-high 18 points at the break.

1ST HALF:

Gonzaga 44, Kentucky 32 (2:50): The Bulldogs pushed ahead behind a strong first half from Graham Ike, who scored 18 points and ripped down seven rebounds in just 12 minutes played. The Wildcats had success on the offensive boards to stay within a 12-point gap of the Zags.

Gonzaga 30, Kentucky 18 (8:58): An emphatic one-hand slam dunk in transition from Khalif Battle put the Bulldogs up a dozen points and brought Climate Pledge to its feet.

Gonzaga 21, Kentucky 12 (11:35): Nolan Hickman put on the moves along the baseline to shake Wildcats guard Koby Brea, then finished with his right hand to cap off an 8-2 scoring spurt for the Bulldogs. Graham Ike leads all scorers early with eight points and six rebounds.

Gonzaga 11, Kentucky 8 (15:44)): These top-five scoring offenses wasted no time settling into their sets early on. The Bulldogs started 5-of-9 from the floor behind Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike, who combined for eight of their team's first 11 points. The Wildcats answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson, though they went without a field goal for two minutes while the Zags pulled in front.

Pregame injury update: Kentucky fifth-year senior guard Lamont Butler (ankle) won't play vs. the Zags.

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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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