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Gonzaga Bulldogs 84, Long Beach State 41: Live updates recap, highlights from men's college basketball game

The Bulldogs took care off business against the Beach in one final tune-up before the Battle 4 Atlantis

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi.
Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford
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The Gonzaga Bulldogs pulled away from Long Beach State, 84-41, in a nonconference matchup from the McCarthey Athletic Center on Wednesday.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Bulldogs (5-0), who used a 14-0 scoring run in the second half to close out their opponent. Graham Ike and Khalif Battle led the way with 15 points apiece, while Braden Huff chipped in 12 points off the bench. Nolan Hickman had 10 points and Ryan Nembhard recorded 10 points and seven assists.

The Beach (1-4) have lost four straight since beating La Verne, 93-48, in the season opener. Devin Askew was the only player to score more than 10 points, finishing with 12, as Long Beach State went 17-of-54 (31.5%) from the field and 2-of-20 from 3.

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Gonzaga 84, Long Beach State 41

2ND HALF:

Gonzaga 74, Long Beach State 39 (3:55): The Bulldogs appear ready to put the bow on their fifth consecutive win to start the season. Battle knocked down a stepback jumper in front of his bench to make it a 35-point game with under four minutes to play.

Gonzaga 68, Long Beach State 35 (7:37): Askew halted Gonzaga's 14-0 scoring run with an easy score in transition off a Bulldogs turnover. The former 5-star recruit led the Beach with 12 points through 30 minutes of play.

Gonzaga 68, Long Beach State 33 (9:05): The Kennel was brought back to life by a quick 14-0 scoring run from the home team, as the Bulldogs opened their largest lead of the night on the back of some stellar defense from Stromer and Huff. The Beach went over four minutes without a field goal and committed another shot clock violation upon pressuring on-ball defense from Gonzaga's second-year players.

Gonzaga 59, Long Beach State 33 (11:27): Stromer and Huff brought some defensive intensity off the bench, as both defended a Long Beach State pick-and-roll to perfection before sparking a transition opportunity for Hickman, who was fouled on the play. Overall both sides continued to slug through some physical play on both ends of the court. Stromer nailed his second 3-pointer from the corner off Nembhard's seventh assist.

Gonzaga 51, Long Beach State 27 (15:53): Like he did against San Diego State, Ike set the tone for the second half with eight-straight points to fuel the Bulldogs out of the locker room. Nembhard connected on a 3-pointer after shaking his defender off a screen. Gonzaga's two seniors combined for 23 of the team's first 51 points.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 40, Long Beach State 24: The Bulldogs trudged through the final few minutes of the first half, missing eight of their final 10 attempts from the field to lead by 16 at the break. The Beach cut into the deficit twice with 9-0 and 6-0 scoring runs in the first half, though like the home team, Chris Acker's squad couldn't find the bottom of the basket down the stretch. Huff and Askew tied to lead all scorers with eight points.

1ST HALF:

Gonzaga 38, Long Beach State 20 (4:00); Denson and Askew momentarily hushed The Kennel crowd after they sparked a 9-0 scoring run for the Beach to cut the deficit to under 20 points. The Bulldogs responded with a 3-pointer from Ike, his first of the season.

Gonzaga 30, Long Beach State 9 (7:49): The Zags opened up a 21-point after Nembhard found Ben Gregg in transition for the senior guard's fifth assist of the night. Everyone who's checked in for Mark Few has scored thus far.

Gonzaga 17, Long Beach State 4 (12:04): Nembhard accounted for eight straight points to extend the Bulldogs' lead over the Beach early in the first half. The senior guard split the gap between two defenders to hit Stromer for a 3-pointer, then scored a layup and 3-pointer of his own on back-to-back possessions. Long Beach State, meanwhile, started 1-of-8 from the field with three turnovers.

Gonzaga 9, Long Beach State 2 (14:57): Battle couldn't finish off an alley-oop pass from Hickman in transition, though Ajayi was right there to clean up the miss with a two-hand putback. The Bulldogs struggled from the field early (4-of-10) but managed to gain an early advantage while holding the Beach to without a field goal for four minutes after Johnson's jumphook over Ajayi in the post.

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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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