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Gonzaga 86, Yale 71 : Live score recap, highlights

Battle of the Bulldogs officially tips off Gonzaga men's basketball 2023-24 season

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga 86, Yale 71 : Live score recap, highlights
Gonzaga 86, Yale 71 : Live score recap, highlights /
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The No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated Yale, 86-71, in the home opener of the 2023-24 college basketball season.

After trailing by double-digits early on, the Zags fought tooth and nail behind redshirt freshman Braden Huff's 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Gonzaga outrebounded Yale 42-28 and outscored the Bulldogs 44-20 in the paint. John Poulakidas led the way with 18 points for Yale, which shot 40.7% from the field and 37.5% from deep.

With the win, the Zags have won 18 straight regular-season openers dating back to 2003. It was also the 33rd consecutive victory at home to start a season.

Gonzaga Nation reporters and photographers are courtside to bring you live updates, photos, video highlights, game recaps and much more.

Live updates recap:

FINAL: Gonzaga 86, Yale 71

5th timeout (3:56): Gonzaga flexed its muscles down the stretch with an 80-61 advantage over Yale, which went on a five-minute scoring drought.

4th timeout (7:41): Left-handed jump-hook from Ike put the Zags ahead, 72-59. Yale converted on three of its first 10 shot attempts from the half. Gonzaga dominated in the hustle plays department with 16 second-chance points to Yale's 3 second-chance points.

3rd timeout (11:12): Gonzaga led 64-51 after Hickman found Huff on a backdoor cut for an and-one layup from the 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman. Huff led all scorers to this point with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor.

Media timeout (14:27): Gonzaga led 55-46 following a backdoor layup from Yale's Matt Knowling. Stromer provided a spark defensively with a steal that led to a transition layup for Nembhard. 

1st timeout (16:49): A two-hand flush from Anton Watson gave Gonzaga its largest lead of the night, 53-42, while Yale started the half 0-for-3 shooting from the field before James Jones called timeout.

HALFTIME: Gonzaga 47, Yale 42: Zags headed into the locker room with a five-point lead after trailing the Bulldogs by 10 points early in the first half. Ryan Nembhard and Huff chipped in 10 points each for Gonzaga, which shot 48.5% from the field and 5-for-8 from deep. August Mahoney led the way with nine points for Yale. The Zags converted on six of their last eight field goals.

Fourth timeout (3:42): Back-to-back 3-pointers from Ben Gregg and Huff put the Zags in front, 36-33. Gonzaga knocked down four of its first seven attempts from deep, while Yale started 4-for-9.

Media timeout (6:46): Layup from Nolan Hickman put Gonzaga in front, 24-23, for the fourth lead change of the half. Hickman led all scorers up to this point with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting. 

Second timeout (11:42): Yale led 21-18, but Braden Huff provided a spark off the bench as Gonzaga went on a 12-5 run to cut into the Bulldogs' double-digit lead. Dusty Stromer scored his first official points as a Zag with a 3-pointer at the top of the arc.

First timeout (15:58): Yale jumped out to a 16-6 lead after knocking down six of its first eight shot attempts. Gonzaga went on a three-minute scoring drought.

Yale coach James Jones on Gonzaga: 'It's got to be one of the craziest environments I've ever seen'

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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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