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Gonzaga Bulldogs 77, USF Dons 72: Live updates recap, highlights WCC men's basketball game

Bulldogs climb the WCC standings with a big win over the Dons

Cole Forsman

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs fought tooth and nail before coming out victorious in a 77-72 win over San Francisco Thursday in a clash of West Coast Conference heavyweights.

The Bulldogs (14-5, 5-1 WCC) exchanged blows with the visitors until a 16-4 run put them up by double-digits with just under three minutes left.

The Dons (15-6, 4-2 WCC) never quit, though, as Marcus Williams brought them to within three points with nine seconds remaining as Gonzaga struggled to put the game away at the free-throw line. Williams scored 19 points, all in the second half.

Graham Ike sealed the deal with a pair of free throws after Williams made it 75-72. Ike finished with a team-high 22 points and was 11-of-12 at the charity stripe. Four other Bulldogs scored in double-figures.

Gonzaga Bulldogs beat USF Dons in key WCC men's basketball matchup (photo gallery)

Gonzaga shot 58.3% from the floor in the second half, while San Francisco shot 38.2% after halftime.

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Gonzaga 77, San Francisco 72

SECOND HALF:

Gonzaga 71, San Francisco 68 (0:36): Nembhard missed a pair of free throws, followed by a second-chance layup from Williams.

Gonzaga 69, San Francisco 64 (0:58): The Dons refused to go away, as Williams knocked down a quick 3-pointer after Watson missed a pair of free throws. 

Gonzaga 63, San Francisco 52 (2:44): Bulldogs delivered crushing body blows late, as Gregg opened the lead up with a 3-pointer right in front of Gonzaga's bench. Hawthorne couldn't respond with a triple of his own, which led to another score for Watson in transition on a runner from the baseline. Ike made it a double-digit game with a turnaround hook.

Gonzaga 56, San Francisco 52 (5:02): A questionable foul call on Gregg resulted in two made free throws from Thomas. 

Gonzaga 54, San Francisco 48 (6:29): Bulldogs broke the stalemate with a quick 6-0 scoring spurt. Watson connected on a hook, followed by a spin and a two-hand dunk from Ike. Watson finished another acrobatic finish to prompt a timeout from the Dons. 

Gonzaga 48, San Francisco 48 (7:54): Both defenses tightened up down the stretch, as the Bulldogs and Dons went over two minutes without a basket. Nembhard had the last score at the 10:00 mark with a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line.

Gonzaga 46, San Francisco 45 (12:50): A track meet broke out inside the McCarthey Athletic Center, as the Bulldogs and Dons picked up the pace midway through the second half. Ryan Beasley stopped a fastbreak attempt with a steal on Gregg, only to have Watson snag a Hail Mary pass intended for Mogbo. Nembhard finished on the other end with a reverse layup.

San Francisco 42, Gonzaga 41 (15:31): An and-one from Newbury gave the Dons their largest lead of the night at six to cap off a 6-0 run. Bulldogs answered with a 3-pointer from Hickman, followed by an and-one from Ike as Newbury committed his third personal foul.

HALFTIME: San Francisco 31, Gonzaga 30: Newbury got the second tip in to go at the horn to give the Dons a slight advantage at the break. San Francisco won the rebounding battle, 23-15, and had eight second-chance points. Bulldogs shot 35.7% from the field but only committed three turnovers to the Dons' nine.

FIRST HALF:

San Francisco 28, Gonzaga 26 (1:49): Dons responded swiftly with a 7-0 scoring run of their own after Newbury drove in the lane and finished over Huff. 

Gonzaga 24, San Francisco 21 (3:43): A 9-0 scoring spurt from the home team was capped off by a steal and score from Stromer after a timeout from the Dons. Thomas knocked down a triple to cut the deficit in half. Gonzaga's defense forced three turnovers in less than a minute, including a steal on an inbounds that led to a score from Hickman.

Gonzaga 22, San Francisco 18 (5:15): Watson gave Gonzaga's offense life after checking back into the game with two fouls. After a kickout to Hickman for a 3-pointer, Watson caught a pass on the baseline from Nembhard and finished a heavily contest layup at the rim.

San Francisco 18, Gonzaga 17 (7:39): Nembhard dropped off his third assist of the night to Gregg on a drive to the rim, as the Bulldogs battled for every open look and shot against San Francisco. Newbury drilled his second 3-pointer of the night to silence the rowdy student section. Watson was limited in the first half after picking up his second foul at the 14:33 mark.

San Francisco 13, Gonzaga 10 (11:46): The Bulldogs struggled to get past the Dons' stout defense as they started 4-of-16 from the floor. San Francisco answered a 3-pointer from Nembhard, who accounted for all of Gonzaga's first 10 points, with a triple from Isiah Hawthorne the next time down.

Gonzaga 7, San Francisco 5 (15:49): Bulldogs gained a slight advantage at the first media timeout after a slow start. Gregg got things going with a 3-pointer after Hickman got his own miss back, followed by an easy score for Ike over Williams. The Dons got a 3-pointer from Thomas on timely ball movement.

Adam Morrison on Ben Gregg: 'You need to have him on the floor more'

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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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