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Gonzaga Bulldogs 86, USF Dons 68: Live score recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball game [2/29/24]

Bulldogs clinched a top-two seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament with a win over the Dons

Cole Forsman

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs ran away with an 86-68  blowout over the San Francisco Dons at the Chase Center on Thursday.

After trailing for all but five seconds in the first half, Gonzaga (23-6, 13-2 WCC) jumped out to a double-digit lead in the blink of an eye following the halftime break. With Graham Ike leading the charge, a 13-0 scoring run put the Bulldogs ahead 48-34 at the 17:42 mark before jumping out to a 20-point lead minutes later as they made 12 of their first 13 shots coming out of the locker room.

Gonzaga put up 1.246 points per possession and shot 61.2% from the field, including 72.0% in the second half. Ike tied his season high with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting, Nolan Hickman had 19 of his 22 points in the second half and Ryan Nembhard added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

San Francisco (22-8, 11-4 WCC) held a slight advantage throughout the first half behind Malik Thomas, Johnathan Mogbo and Marcus Williams, who all combined for 30 of the team's 34 points. Thomas nailed three 3-pointers to give the Dons an advantage from behind the arc. Williams also dished out five assists and had three steals defensively.

2024 NCAA Tournament Bracketology: Gonzaga sits on bubble ahead of WCC finale

The Bulldogs have won seven straight and 12 of their last 13 games heading into the WCC regular-season finale at No. 17 Saint Mary's on Saturday. Gonzaga clinched the top two seed in the conference tournament with the victory over the Dons.

FINAL: Gonzaga 86, San Francisco 68

SECOND HALF:

Gonzaga 77, San Francisco 53 (3:41): Nembhard put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs' seventh-straight win with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, followed by a reverse layup through contact for an and-one over Josh Kunen.

Gonzaga 70, San Francisco 48 (7:50): Mogbo left the game after coming up limp on a layup at the 7:50 mark. The 6-foot-8 forward exited with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bulldogs went without a field goal for over three minutes.

Gonzaga 68, San Francisco 46 (8:48): Dons amped up the pressure with a foul court press to try and rattle the Bulldogs out of their hot start.

Gonzaga 65, San Francisco 42 (10:46): Nembhard snuck his way into the lane while Watson sealed the defense before the 6-foot guard dished the rock at the last moment to Gregg for an and-one. Bulldogs couldn't miss after halftime as they made 12 of their first 13 field goal attempts.

Gonzaga 54, San Francisco 37 (14:39): Dons couldn't find an answer for Ike on the low block. The 6-foot-9 post started the second half 4-of-4 from the field to push the Bulldogs out in front by double-digits. Hickman's scoop layup capped off a 19-3 scoring run.

Gonzaga 42, San Francisco 34 (18:16): Bulldogs ran out to a 7-0 start in the second half after Hickman connected on the first 3-pointer of the night right in front of his bench, prompting a quick timeout from the Dons.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 35, San Francisco 34: Gonzaga's only lead in the first half came just before the buzzer sounded after Watson's turnaround jumper on the baseline. Bulldogs were 0-for-4 from downtown, Dons knocked down four triples. Thomas had 13 points while Ike had 16 on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor.

FIRST HALF:

San Francisco 26, Gonzaga 22 (3:55): Ryan Beasley knocked down a midrange jumper to extend the Dons' small lead. Ike continued to fight off double-teams on the low block.

San Francisco 21, Gonzaga 18 (7:44): Thomas' second triple ended a nearly two-minute-long scoring drought from both sides. Dons started 3-of-8 from downtown while Gonzaga missed its first three attempts from distance.

San Francisco 18, Gonzaga 16 (9:53): Williams had his fingerprints on both ends of the floor to start. With nine points early, he made up for a turnover with a steal moments later, followed by an assist to Mogbo to keep the Dons in front. Gonzaga leaned heavily on Ike, who had 10 points out of the gate.

San Francisco 7, Gonzaga 2 (16:00): Bulldogs couldn't break the seal off the rim out of the gate as they started 0-for-4 from the field. Thomas nailed a corner 3-pointer for the Dons.

Adam Morrison thinks Gonzaga's Graham Ike should 'for sure' be 2024 WCC Player of the Year

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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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