Gonzaga gets back to winning ways in 86-60 rout of Pepperdine: 'We don't lose much around here'

Bulldogs neutralize the Waves' top three scorers, cruise to blowout win to start league play

Cole Forsman | Jan 5, 2024

Gonzaga gets back to winning ways in 86-60 rout of Pepperdine: 'We don't lose much around here' /

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SPOKANE - Gonzaga men's basketball has historically been well prepared for West Coast Conference play, thanks in large part to a rigorous nonconference schedule. It's been over 27 years since the Bulldogs lost a league opener when Steve Nash ran the show at Santa Clara. After a rare home loss to San Diego State last week, there was no way Mark Few was about to let that WCC win streak snap against Pepperdine on Thursday.

"We don't like losing much," Few said after the Bulldogs' 86-60 win over the Waves at the Spokane Arena. "We don't lose much around here. So it's just good to get back."

Gonzaga responded to its last defeat with one of its best shooting nights of the season, going 8-for-19 (42.1%) from behind the arc after five straight games of shooting worse than 30%. The backcourt found its rhythm, as Nolan Hickman drilled a season-high four triples while Ryan Nembhard snapped his cold streak of five games without a 3-pointer with two against the Waves.

There was a renewed sense of urgency and defensive focus, especially regarding Pepperdine's top three guys. Michael Ajayi, Houston Mallete and Jevon Porter, all of which averaged between 10 and 17 points, were held to a combined shooting effort of 8-for-36 from the field.

Superb shooting and lockdown defense have the Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 WCC) back in the win column heading into a league tilt with San Diego on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga's win over Pepperdine.

GRAHAM IKE IS THE GUY

Gonzaga Pulldogs Pepperdine Wave31 — Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

There was a stretch roughly midway through the first half where Pepperdine couldn't stop Gonzaga's 6-foot-9 bruiser on the left low block. For three straight possessions, Ike backed his way down before spinning over his right shoulder for an easy bucket in the paint. Boubacar Coulibaly might've had the height advantage at 6-foot-10, but that didn't seem to stop Ike, who scored 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the floor.

"It's like water flowing," Ike said of his hot night. "It's really just my teammates looking for me so I'm appreciative of them, but it's just something that we practice over the week ... just asserting my will."

The offense flowed through Ike to get things going from the start. Some opponents have caught on and have sent double-teams on Ike to throw the Bulldogs off cadence, but Pepperdine never made an effort to send more help defense his way. If it's not broke don't fix it. If WCC teams are going to play Ike straight up, then he should warrant a lot of post-touches moving forward.

That should already be the game plan based on Ike's latest outputs. He's scored 20 or more points in three straight games and is shooting 22-of-31 from the floor during that stretch, which followed a 5-point game against UConn in Seattle. Few has clearly wanted more out of his starting center, and Ike appears to have received that message.

Gonzaga hadn't figured out who its go-to guy would be for much of nonconference play. It was a balanced effort, but there wasn't an emphasis on getting the ball to one person in the big moments. Perhaps the answer is Ike.

GONZAGA PASSES A TEST OF CONFIDENCE

Gonzaga Pulldogs Pepperdine Wave24 — Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Few is well aware of the fine line his program walks when scheduling a handful of ranked teams in the nonconference slate. On one side, it can build a postseason resume and prepare for bigger tests down the road. The flip side is that when the losses pile up, the confidence can go down in a hurry.

But there wasn't any hesitation or timidness from the Bulldogs on Thursday. Dusty Stromer, who got benched for a technical foul he picked up in the San Diego State game, came right out and blocked Ajayi on a layup attempt before drilling a 3-pointer in the corner the ensuing Gonzaga possession. Ryan Nembhard, who hadn't hit a 3-pointer since Dec. 5, went 2-for-3 from distance.

"It's about time," Nembhard admitted. "I'm consistent with my work and it just felt good to see them fall."

Nolan Hickman's aggressiveness paid off as he had his best shooting night of the season with four triples. The hot night was a combination of assertiveness without forcing the issue, a balancing act that he's pulled off here and there throughout his career but he hasn't put together a consistent track record of taking over from behind the arc.

"He came out with just a really good rhythm on his shot," Few said of Hickman. "He was hunting [his shot], these guys did a great job of finding him."

Given the team's recent shooting struggles, going 8-for-19 on 3-pointers was a major step in the right direction. It'll be considered a fluke if the Bulldogs don't show consistency in that area, but for now, Thursday's game is a sign of mental toughness and grit following a bad stretch that would shake a lot of teams.

A BOUNCE BACK DEFENSIVELY

Gonzaga Pulldogs Pepperdine Wave18 — Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Along with keeping a fighting spirit, Few noted after the Aztecs game that his team needed to tighten up some areas defensively. Gonzaga had been solid in that department for much of nonconference play, but mental mistakes continued to be exploited by really good teams. One WCC game isn't going to magically fix everything, though shutting down three skilled scorers (including the league's leading scorer) is certainly noteworthy.

The Waves' entire offense was off schedule with Michael Ajayi, Houston Mallette and Jevon Porter held to a combined 8-for-36 showing from the field. The trio struggled out of the gate to the extent that if it wasn't for Ethan Anderson, Gonzaga would've put the game away within the first 10 minutes. Mallette and Ajayi got in a slight groove late in the half but it didn't matter, the Bulldogs were dialed in on stopping Pepperdine's top guys.

"We did a great job on those guys," Few said. "They are really, really talented. They added [Ajayi], he's a heck of a player. We've all seen what Porter can do."

Gonzaga's clamps were tightened after getting torched by Jaedon LeDee and Reese Waters the last time out. There were still some mistakes Few would like to have seen cleaned up, but his team still held the opposition to its worst shooting night of the season.

There are going to be better offenses to face in the WCC. For now, the bar is set for what should be expected on the defensive end of the floor in league play.