Gonzaga finds new gear in impressive win over Loyola Marymount: 'This was as good as we played all year'

Bulldogs blow past Lions, 92-58, behind career-high 24 points from Nolan Hickman

The Gonzaga Bulldogs arguably put together their best 40-minute effort they've had to this point in the season in a 92-58 blowout win over Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.

Offensively, things were rolling with Nolan Hickman taking the scoring reins. The junior put up a career-high 24 points and shot 10-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-7 on 3-point attempts, in addition to five assists and three rebounds.  When Hickman wasn't probing the defense, Graham Ike was getting a lot of touches down low as he dropped 20 points for the fourth time in the last five games.

On the other end, Gonzaga (16-5, 7-1 WCC) took advantage of a lot of mistakes on the part of LMU (10-12, 3-5 WCC). A season-high 20 turnovers from the Lions turned into 29 points the other way for the Bulldogs, who led by double-digits for the last 28 minutes of game time. LMU shot 37.1% and had just six assists as a team.

"This was as good as we've played all year," Mark Few said. "Our defensive intensity, our attention to detail with the scouting report that we put in. Our connectivity, we were talking and more connected. We were doing a great job and just making the right basketball play offensively."

Gonzaga crushes Loyola Marymount behind Nolan Hickman's huge game (photo gallery)

Here are three takeaways from the Bulldogs' win.

HICKMAN BESTS OLD TEAMMATE HARRIS

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

There weren't many pleasantries exchanged on the hardwood between Hickman and Harris, who were Gonzaga teammates from 2021-23, but Hickman let his play do most of the talking anyway.

Hickman took full advantage of the Lions trying to chase him over the top of ball screens by getting downhill and making what Few called "the right basketball play." Whether that meant stopping for a midrange jumper, driving to the rim or pinpointing a late rotation to hit an open man, Hickman looked a few steps ahead of LMU in every regard offensively.

The 6-foot-3 guard flashed some of those abilities in spurts with big first halves at different points this season, though until Tuesday he hadn't quite put together a full 40-minute display of what he can do. But even with his 19-point outing on Saturday against Pacific, he's seen the ball go in with more consistency as he diversifies his shot selection between 3-pointers, floaters and layups based on what the defense gives him.

"I definitely had it going, I felt good out there," Hickman said. "But I feel like that's just the scout. We drilled it in practice. Just like [Ben Gregg] said, [Coach] Gentry gave us a real good plan and we stuck to the plan. That's where I feel like I got all my buckets in; just going with the plan."

For Harris, between the shower of boos he received from Gonzaga's student section and the rough night filled with turnovers, his return to Spokane was less than ideal for himself. The redshirt junior had 11 points, shot 4-of-13 from the field, had four turnovers including a traveling violation and had his shot attempt blocked on four different occasions. 

LUKA KRAJNOVIC IS HEALTHY

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

With a taped left wrist, Krajnovic played the last seven minutes of the second half and made the most of his short time with six points.

"He hasn't had a whole lot of reps, but we threw him out there and he did good," Few said. "He looked good in practice the last two days, so I think it'll be good to spell both Nolan and Ryan."

Indeed, Gonzaga's starting backcourt hasn't seen a whole lot of rest time over the course of WCC play. Hickman and Nembhard average over 35 minutes and have logged a full 40 minutes a combined five times in league play. Of course, heavy minutes are to be expected against the WCC's contenders, but with Krajnovic healthy again, he can steal a few minutes and grant some rest for Hickman or Nembhard at various points in a ballgame without too much of a drop off.

ON TO SAINT MARY'S

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

The Bulldogs will have a few days to recoup before a big matchup with rival Saint Mary's on Saturday will have major implications on the league standings.

After a rocky stretch in nonconference play, the Gaels (16-6, 7-0 WCC) sit atop the WCC heading into their showdown with Santa Clara on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Aidan Mahaney has reemerged as a contender for the conference's Player of the Year award, as he averages 17.7 points in WCC games. Randy Bennett's defense is No. 1 in the WCC in scoring (55.4 points per game) and second in field goal percentage allowed (41.0%) behind Gonzaga (39.7%).

"They're playing great. They hit a lull in the early part of December there but I think all of us who know Saint Mary's and know those guys, know [Bennett]; they'd be right back where they are now," Few said. "Just an incredibly physical team that's great on the boards, doesn't make mistakes and they try to make you beat them."

Another strong performance against the Gaels could earn the Bulldogs their first Quad 1 win of the season and drastically improve their NCAA Tournament hopes. If not, Saint Mary's will gain a tighter grip on the No. 1 spot in the standings and emerge as the favorite to earn the WCC's autobid with a league championship in March.

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