Gonzaga closes out Arizona State at The Kennel: 3 takeaways

The Bulldogs hung on for a thrilling victory on their home court

Cole Forsman | Nov 11, 2024

Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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Big second-half performances from Braden Huff and Khalif Battle helped No. 6 Gonzaga hold off Arizona State, 88-80, in a Sunday matinee at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Coming off their 38-point win over No. 8 Baylor in the season opener, the Bulldogs (2-0) had to withstand more punches from a frisky Sun Devils (2-1) squad in a game where neither side led by more than eight points and had 16 lead changes. Arizona State had a swing of momentum midway through the second half, though Gonzaga outscored the visitors 17-9 over the final five minutes to hang on for its 21st-straight win in a home opener.

"I think we did a good job of closing the game,” Mark Few said after the game. “They look tough and they look versatile, and they got a lot of guys and they all bring a little bit of something different.”

Huff and Battle carried the load offensively down the stretch, as they combined to score 17 of the team’s last 21 points. Huff led all scorers with 21 points off the bench, including a few clutch baskets late and a two-hand dunk that made it a 6-point game with under a minute to play. The 6-foot-10 post went 9-of-13 from the field and grabbed four rebounds.

Battle struggled offensively in the first half, but that didn’t stop him from filling up the scoring column after halftime. All 19 of his points came in the second half, as the 6-foot-5 guard knocked down three 3-pointers and threw down an incredible one-hand dunk off an alley-oop pass from Ryan Nembhard to bring The Kennel to its feet for the remainder of the half.

"I mean, I don't really focus on scoring,” Battle said. “I know I could score. I'm just more focused on playing defense right now and doing winning things. But I know I got a great point guard, I got great guys that's going to give me the ball if I make the right play. So I know I can score ... that's just second nature, but just doing the little things to contribute to winning is most important for me right now."

Here are three takeaways from the game.

NEWCOMERS MAKING SEAMLESS TRANSITION

Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

If there were any concerns about how well Gonzaga’s newcomers would mix in with the returners from last season, there was perhaps no better way to gauge the level of trust the players have in one another than by using Sunday’s narrow victory as a barometer.

While Battle helped fuel the offense, Michael Ajayi set the tone defensively. The 6-foot-7 wing made an impact right away off the bench, as he ripped the ball from Arizona State’s five-star freshman, Jayden Quaintance, to spark a transition opportunity for Nolan Hickman the other way. Ajayi got the better of Quaintance once more in the second half, when he jarred the ball loose again and drew a foul from the 6-foot-9 big man as a result.

Ajayi blocked BJ Freeman’s jump shot from behind a few possessions later. Arizona State got the offensive rebound but ultimately couldn’t convert, leading to a 3-point for Hickman the other way to make it 56-52 with 12:33 left in the second half. Ajayi also forced a turnover from Basheer Jihad with about four minutes to play.

“He was great,” Few said of Ajayi. “I mean think about that run in the first half, we were kind of in a little lull when he got in there and just did what Mike does, man, he just plays with just great energy and he just assumes every ball is his once they hit the rim and he goes flying in there. And that's another quality that we haven't had in these last couple of teams. And it's nice to have. He's still kind of learning everything. But I mean, he gets 12 boards in 20-something minutes. We need every one of them.”

Ajayi’s ability to clean the class has made a difference for the Bulldogs through the first two games of the season. He racked up 20 rebounds in 51 minutes of action combined between the Bears and Sun Devils. Gonzaga posted a +11.5 rebounding margin in its first two games as a result.

“I don't think that the opposition knows, like, how, how athletic he is because he kind of goes in there, like with no conscience,” Battle said of Ajayi. “Like he just jumps over people and just to get a basketball. And I love it because it gives us more momentum.”

RYAN NEMBHARD OFF TO UNREAL START

Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Once again, the Nembhard gene is working wonders for Gonzaga’s offense. While his style is slightly different than his older brother Andrew’s, Ryan Nembhard has made a similar type of impact in a Bulldogs uniform with his ability to see a play develop before it does and his clutch shotmaking in crunch time.

Nembhard posted his second double-double in a row to start the season, finishing with 13 points and 11 assists. He’s up to 22 assists to just two turnovers through two games. When accounting for his last eight games dating back to last season’s regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s Nembhard’s tallied 83 assists to 19 turnovers.

In addition to his playmaking, Nembhard connected on a few jumpers down the stretch to help close out the Sun Devils.

“He is amazing,” Few said of Nembhard. “We just lean on him so, so hard … and it's just an incredible luxury to have. I mean, he's really, really good. I'm surprised. Hopefully he'll start getting a little more love and attention on the national scene, because he's something.”

ONTO THE NEXT ONE

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

The Bulldogs go from back-to-back games against Big 12 opponents to a matchup against America East Conference contender, UMass-Lowell (2-0). The River Hawks were picked to finish second in the America East according to the league’s preseason poll. Head coach Pat Duquette, now in year 12 at the helm, brought back four of his top five scorers from last season’s 22-10 squad, including preseason all-conference pick Max Brooks, a 6-foot-7 forward who put up 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2023-24.

“We need to play good every night out,” Few said. “Even if you're at a level like UMass-Lowell, you can go out and get different guys that weren't happy somewhere else and are probably pretty darn good players. So yeah they're probably better than who we need to be playing at this point, but we're playing them anyway. So we've got a gear up.”