Gonzaga trounces Pepperdine, 107-55

It wasn’t ever close for the Waves last night as Gonzaga looks to be firing on all cylinders once again

Maybe Anton Watson should come to all the games…

Yes, it was against Pepperdine, and yes, it was at home… But those who tuned in last night saw one of the most convincing smackdowns a Gonzaga squad has laid on an opponent in recent memory. The Zags dismantled the Waves on both ends of the court, and left with a 52-point win, 107-55. The defense was suffocating, the offense automatic, the Kennel was hyped, and the bench was absurdly deep. Last night’s game was one of the most impressive of the season, giving us plenty of reason for optimism in the waning days of conference play.

Game Recap

Bloodbath is the only word for it. The Zags came out red-hot, stayed red-hot, and by 10 minutes into regulation, were up by 20. By halftime, Gonzaga led the Waves 55-26, with Ryan Nembhard having already recorded 10 assists and Khalif Battle already at 14 points.

The second half didn’t get any better for Pepperdine. Even with their starters on the bench, the Zags steadily grew their lead, getting everyone involved and decisively keeping the Waves away from the basket. By the final buzzer, teeth and viscera were all that remained of Pepperdine. The Zags have been slowly but surely getting things back on track, and last night, they made a statement—loud and clear. The WCC should be on notice, the kings of the conference are back and ready to retake the throne.

Many of last night’s numbers look like accounting errors from a careless statistician. The Zags shot 57% from the field, hit 12-of-26 three-pointers, grabbed a season-high 52 rebounds, scored 54 points in the paint, posted 28 fast-break points, and set a new program record with 33 assists on 45 made field goals. Twelve different Zags scored, 47 points came from the bench, the defense held Pepperdine to just 29.2% shooting, forced 12 turnovers, and along the way, no player logged more than 25 minutes. You can’t ask for a more balanced or dominant performance.

Backcourt Buckets

Slumps happen, but Gonzaga’s guards had been especially poor from outside lately and at exactly the wrong time. Luckily, Battle and Hickman came into last night determined to turn the tide. Against the Waves, Khalif went 4-of-8 from deep, and Nolan 4-of-6. They looked for their shots aggressively, took what the defense gave them, and made it their mission to heat back up from deep . After combining for 4-31 from the perimeter in recent weeks, each one of them hit as many three-pointers last night as they combined for over the previous 5 games total.

After averaging just 5 points per game in the last two weeks, Nolan showed up and dropped 18 on the Waves and racked up a new season-high 7 assists. It’s easy to forget that at most other schools, Nolan would be a starting point guard. Khalif, meanwhile, was everywhere—on the wing, at shooting guard, and even playing a little point guard down the stretch. He hit back-to-back threes to start the game and found his way into double figures just 5 minutes into regulation. He finished with a team-high 24 points on 10-15 shooting—the most shots he’s taken in a game all season—and for just the second time in his career, led his team in scoring without even attempting a single free throw. Hickman and Battle combined for roughly 40% of the team’s total scoring, and only played 25 minutes apiece.

Add in the team-high 11 assists from Ryan Nembhard, the stellar defense of Emmanuel Innocenti (who also scored 8 points, had 3 steals, went 2-of-2 from outside, and added 4 assists… he was absolutely incredible), and you’ve got one of the most versatile and potent backcourts in college basketball. If Gonzaga’s guards can maintain this level of play alongside the best distributor in college basketball, no backcourt in the nation can keep up. Simply put, Gonzaga’s guards were near-perfect last night.

Dominance on the Glass

By the second half, Pepperdine had all but abandoned rebounding as a strategy—understandable against a team who thrives in transition. Since losses to Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s, though, controlling the glass has been a major priority for the Zags. Graham Ike led the team with 9 rebounds, while Michael Ajayi grabbed 8 (to go along with his 10 points). Ben Gregg and Khalif Battle each had 5 boards, and Emmanuel Innocenti pulled down 4 (3 of which were offensive). By the end of the game, the Zags had out-rebounded the Waves 52-31, setting a new season high for rebounds in a game.

In their last 4 games, Gonzaga has won the rebounding battle by an average of 11.75 boards per game, an obscene turnaround from their performances against Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s. To secure redemption against the Gaels—a team ranked 4th in all of college basketball for rebounding percentage—they’ll need to continue crashing the glass from all 5 positions.

Sharing the Wealth

As a Zag, Ryan Nembhard has never played fewer than 21 minutes in a game, and that came in his second ever in a Gonzaga uniform, a blowout win over Eastern Oregon, where he finished with 3 assists and 4 turnovers. Last night against Pepperdine, he played just 22 minutes—his second fewest at Gonzaga—but still posted 11 assists, 10 of which came in just the first half. His minutes have been on the decline recently, but his metrics as a passer are somehow moving the opposite direction.

After last night’s win, Nembhard has 259 total assists this season, the most in the nation by a margin of 41. There are no stats yet that can fully contextualize just how well Ryan Nembhard is playing right now or just how much he’s improved in his time at Gonzaga. He will go down as the best distributor in college basketball this season, but he could very well also go down as one of the best passers in the last decade of college basketball.

That said, the Zags didn’t even need Ryan on the floor to post jaw-dropping assist numbers against the Waves. They finished the night with a program-high 33 assists, breaking the previous record of 32 set back in 1980. In addition to Ryan, 6 other Zags recorded multiple assists: Nolan Hickman had a season-high 7, Emmanuel Innocenti had 4, Graham Ike and Khalif Battle each posted 3, and Dusty Stromer and Braden Huff each added 2. The ball movement was the most unselfish, fast, and effective we’ve seen this season, especially in transition and between the bigs in the low-post. Players were consistently getting the ball out in transition, making the extra pass, spacing the floor, and giving up good shots for great ones.

Bench Dudes Shine

It was a complete team effort. We even got to see 10 minutes of walk-ons and deep-bench guys to close things out. Ismaila Diagne looked thankfully healthy and agile, finishing with 7 points and 3 rebounds in just 6 minutes. If he stays healthy, the combination of he and Huff will make up one of the most imposing frontcourts in the country next year. Jun Seok Yeo played 10 minutes—a new season-high for him—and finished with 5 points and 3 rebounds, including a huge 3-pointer from the corner on a out-of-bounds play. Even Joe Few got in on the action, snatching a crafty steal and getting to the other basket for an easy 2.

Yes, it’s Pepperdine, but even against lower-level competition, it’s clear that this Gonzaga team has turned a corner. It’s a best-case scenario for a team that, for a while, looked like it would spend this March on the wrong side of the bubble. Most importantly, it seemed like the Bulldogs were having fun—celebrating each other’s successes pushing the tempo, exuding that perfect late-March combination of laser-focus and joyful recklessness. It wasn’t a marquee win, but it was a damn good time.

The Gonzaga team that showed up last night is one capable of beating any team in the country, plain and simple. After months of ups and downs, some big wins, some heartbreaking losses, some garments rent, hair pulled, expletives hurled, and jerseys burned, the Zags looked once again like a top-5 team. I say, bring on Wazzu, bring on Saint Mary’s, bring on Santa Clara, bring on the doubters, and bring on March, Go Zags.