Ryan Nembhard sets WCC assists record: 3 takeaways from Gonzaga’s big win at Santa Clara

Nembhard had 15 assists to tie his career high and break the West Coast Conference single-season record

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) drives to the net against Santa Clara Broncos forward Camaron Tongue (21). / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Ryan Nembhard was right when he said there was still a lot for the Gonzaga Bulldogs to play for. Once he helped take control against the Santa Clara Broncos on Tuesday night, the sense of uncertainty that had trailed the Bulldogs to the San Francisco Bay Area disappeared.

The senior guard had 15 assists to tie his career high and break the West Coast Conference single-season record in an impressive 95-76 win before a sellout crowd at the Leavey Center. It was a huge relief for Gonzaga (22-8, 13-4), whose loss to regular-season champion Saint Mary’s at the Kennel on Saturday left everyone in a gloomy mood and had some experts talking about the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Nembhard predicted the Zags would “figure it out” and did they ever. He had 12 points to go with his 15 assists and Graham Ike had a game-high 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Khalif Battle had 14 of his 21 points in the first half, when the Zags took control; Nolan Hickman had 11 points; and 7-foot freshman Ismaila Diagne came up big off the bench on both ends of the court, with nine points, four rebounds and a big blocked shot.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s statement win at Santa Clara.

Nembhard’s record night 

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) shoots the basketball against Santa Clara Broncos forward Camaron Tongue (21). / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Nembhard came into the game needing five assists to break the WCC single-season assists record of 284 set by Emmett Naar of Saint Mary’s in 2017-18.

Nembhard, the national leader with an average of 9.7, tied the record with a pass to Ike for a layup with nine minutes to play in the first half. He broke the record in style, with a lob to Ajayi for an alley-oop dunk that pulled the Zags to 40-34 with 3:02 to go, shortly before they went on a 10-0 run to close the half.

Nembhard matched his career high set in a 103-99 loss to Santa Clara at the Kennel on Jan. 18. He now has 295 assists this season and 833 in his career, which includes two years at Creighton and two at Gonzaga.

He finished one shy of Blake Stepp’s single-game school record of 16 set in 2002. 

Unlike Saturday night, Nembhard was all smiles during a postgame TV interview, with his happy teammates gathered behind him.

Big picture

Santa Clara Broncos guard Carlos Stewart Jr. (10) shoots against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13). / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The comeback win keeps the Zags in the running for the No. 2 seed in the WCC tournament next week in Las Vegas — which means a bye into the semifinals — and sets up a big showdown with San Francisco on Saturday night at the Chase Center. 

Gonzaga popped a half-game ahead of USF, which plays at Oregon State on Wednesday night.

This was a Quad 1 win for the Zags. 

Flip the switch

Gonzaga Bulldogs center Ismaila Diagne (24) dunks the basketball against the Santa Clara Broncos. / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Zags knew they would face a barrage of 3-pointers, and sure enough, the Broncos made their first eight 3-pointers en route to a 33-25 lead with about eight minutes left in the first half. 

But the Zags shut down the long-range shooting and pulled back into it behind Ike and an impressive showing by Diagne, a big man from Senegal who got his first significant minutes after Braden Huff got into foul trouble. Diagne had a slam dunk and a blocked shot just moments apart.

The Bulldogs closed with a 10-0 run to take a 44-42 halftime lead. Diagne started the run with a slam dunk and Battle scored the last eight points, including a stepback 3 set up by Diagne’s steal, as well as a 3-point play. 

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Mark Few said after Gonzaga’s 95-76 win at Santa Clara

• Gonzaga back on the bubble in latest NCAA Tournament projections

• Despite Saint Mary’s loss Gonzaga still near top of college basketball rankings

• What Gonzaga's Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard said after loss to Saint Mary’s

• What Mark Few said after Gonzaga’s 74-67 loss to Saint Mary’s

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