Gonzaga Nation

Gonzaga Bulldogs 96, LMU Lions 68: Live updates recap, highlights from WCC men's college basketball game

The Bulldogs took down the Lions for their third straight win to start league play

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior Nolan Hickman.
Gonzaga Bulldogs senior Nolan Hickman. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford
In this story:

Graham Ike and Khalif Battle powered Gonzaga to a 96-68 victory over Loyola Marymount in a West Coast Conference matchup from Gersten Pavilion on Saturday.

Ike led all scorers with 27 points on 12-for-16 from the field in 25 minutes of action. The 6-foot-9 forward also ripped down nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-4, 3-0 WCC), who outscored the Lions (9-7, 1-3 WCC), 56-18, in paint points and won the rebounding battle, 39-32, thanks in large part to Gonzaga's frontcourt.

Battle helped spark a late 13-5 scoring run in the first half through some hot shooting from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-5 guard scored seven straight points during that run, which helped the Zags run out in front 46-28 at the halftime break. Battle finished with a season-high 26 points on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range.

Here is the live updates recap:

(Refresh this page for latest updates)

FINAL: Gonzaga 96, LMU 68

2ND HALF

Gonzaga 90, LMU 64 (2:06): Gonzaga can ride out another blowout victory after sending in the reserves.

Gonzaga 85, LMU 60 (4:30): Khalif Battle sets a new season high with 23 points following a flashy score in transition to push the Bulldogs' lead back to 25 points. Moments earlier, Ryan Nembhard recorded his sixth double-double of the season (10 points, 11 assists), tying him for the sixth-most in the country.

Gonzaga 72, LMU 55 (7:54): Will Johnston's 3-pointer from the top of the arc in transition makes it a 17-point game, the closest its been since late in the first half. The Bulldogs missed three consecutive 3-pointers as the Lions deployed a full court zone press to speed up the game.

Gonzaga 65, LMU 41 (11:58): Bulldogs hit a bit of a dry spell offensively, though the Lions haven't been able to take much advantage. Jevon Porter has been the main source of offense in the second half, as the 6-foot-11 post has scored the last eight points for LMU.

Gonzaga 63, LMU 38 (13:41): Khalif Battle continues his hot night from beyond the arc, as the sixth-year guard has nine of his team's first 17 points of the second half.

Gonzaga 57, LMU 35 (15:32): Ryan Nembhard finds Khalif Battle in the corner for a 3-pointer, his third and the team's fourth of the night. After missing his first fix attempts from the field, Jevon Porter finally saw one go down on a 3-point play down low.

Gonzaga 52, LMU 30 (17:36): Nolan Hickman gets a floater to drop, extending the Bulldogs' lead back to 22 points.

HALFTIME — Gonzaga 46, LMU 28: The Bulldogs cruised to a comfortable lead over the Lions behind a strong first half from Graham Ike, who led all scorers with 14 points. Michael Ajayi put together his best half offensively with 11 points on 4-for-6 from the field. Khalif Battle helped fuel a 13-5 scoring run with seven straight points, finishing the half with 10 points. LMU struggled to generate any sort of offense while going 10-for-31 from the field.

1ST HALF

Gonzaga 40, LMU 22 (3:06): Make it seven straight points for Khalif Battle, who knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing after the Lions sent a double-team toward Graham Ike. LMU has missed six of its last seven attempts from the field.

Gonzaga 35, LMU 20 (5:02): Khalif Battle slithers inside for two points thanks to a solid seal on the inside from Graham Ike, giving the Zags their largest lead of the night.

Gonzaga 27, LMU 17 (7:44): Caleb Stone-Carrawell gets his second field goal of the night to go down, cutting the Lions' deficit to 10 points. LMU is just 6-for-19 from the field to start. Zags have cruised on offense behind Graham Ike's 10 points.

Gonzaga 25, LMU 13 (8:50): Graham Ike cooks the Lions down low for two more scores, followed by a nice individual effort from Michael Ajayi to intercept a pass for a breakaway dunk on the other end. Ike and Ajayi have combined for 17 points thus far.

Gonzaga 19, LMU 11 (11:48): Michael Ajayi connects on a 3-pointer to extend the Bulldogs' first half lead to eight points. The 6-foot-7 senior had missed his previous 12 attempts from deep.

Gonzaga 16 LMU 9 (12:22): Jevon Porter picked up his second foul after making contact with Dusty Stromer on a 3-point attempt. The Zags held the Lions to a 4-for-14 start from the floor.

Gonzaga 11, LMU 7 (15:05): Dusty Stromer and Braden Huff check into the game for the first time tonight. Zags jumped out in front following back-to-back scores from Graham Ike.

Gonzaga 7, LMU 7 (15:58): Both of the Bulldogs' first two field goals came off the glass, starting with a 3-pointer from Khalif Battle and followed shortly after by a midrange jumper from Ryan Nembhard. The Lions have already committed three turnovers.

PREGAME

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Gonzaga coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Instagram and Twitter.

Published |Modified
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.

Home/Basketball