Gonzaga cruises past Pacific, 78-61

Ryan Nembhard breaks his own assist record as Gonzaga easily handles the Tigers

Last night’s 78-61 win over the Pacific Tigers offered a welcome change from the nail-biting and just plain frustrating games the Zags have been playing recently. There were no tense moments or down-to-the-wire possessions. Instead, it was a comfortable win over an overmatched WCC opponent—reminding fans just how dominant this Zags team can be when they’re locked in and playing their own brand of basketball.

Defense Shines

Gonzaga’s improved defensive effort was once again on full display last night as they held Pacific to just 20 points in the first half and 40% shooting on the night (5-20 from beyond the arc). The Zags forced 15 total turnovers, recorded 8 steals (with Nolan Hickman accounting for 4 by himself), and scored 11 points in transition off Pacific’s miscues (it should’ve been 13, but Khalif Battle’s breakaway dunk got emphatically blocked at and by the rim). Gonzaga’s guards—especially Hickman—have been much more disciplined on-ball defenders lately and have been much more aggressive in jumping passing lanes and trapping ballhandlers in the backcourt. The Zags also leaned heavily on their zone press once again, with Battle, Hickman, Ajayi, and Innocenti making it difficult for Pacific to get the ball past half court. With Gonzaga now running 9-deep, the press seems here to stay.

The Bulldogs have held their last 5 opponents to under 65 points each, an unimaginable turnaround following the back-to-back defensive nightmares versus OSU and Santa Clara.

Ryan Nembhard Breaks Gonzaga’s Single-Season Assist Record, previously held by… Ryan Nembhard

He’s recorded 246 assists this season—more than any player in Gonzaga history in a single season. And it’s only February. We’re witnessing history as Ryan continues to deliver one of the best seasons ever by a Gonzaga point guard. In last night’s win, Ryan posted 7 points and 8 assists, a quiet night by his standards, but his efficiency in 35 minutes was simply off the charts. His record-breaking 244th assist on a fast break alley-oop to Khalif Battle will grace pregame hype-up jumbotron videos at the Kennel for years to come. There aren’t many more decisive ways to break an assist record than an alley-oop like this one…

When he transferred from Creighton, there were questions about whether the younger, smaller Nembhard could live up to his older brother Andrew’s legacy. Last night, Ryan proved that his own is the Nembhard name that will live on in Gonzaga’s record books. He is That Guy for the Zags, and will continue to have been That Guy for years to come. A standing ovation and congratulations to The Maestro.

Bigs Dominate

Ike and B-Huff combined for 30 points last night and made it look easy, carving up and scoring over Pacific’s bigs for all 40 minutes. Both have also gotten better and better recently at passing out of double coverages, opening up the offense for Gregg and Ajayi to get clean looks around the basket. Ike struggled in the first half, finishing with just 2 points, but exploded for 11 more in the second, 7 in quick succession to open the half. Huff, meanwhile, led the team in scoring with 17 points off the bench and also showcased his versatility, challenging defenders to slow him down on his way to the rim, à la Chet Holmgren. He was a point guard in his younger years and he’s not lost his touch as a ball handler despite his size. However this season shakes out, Braden Huff gives us a lot to look forward to next year.

Despite their offensive contributions, Ike and Huff each finished with just 1 rebound apiece, hopefully an anomaly and not a trend. Luckily, Michael Ajayi grabbed 9 while Innocenti and Ben Gregg each added 5. Rebounding has clearly been a priority since getting cooked by Santa Clara, and it’ll be even more vital in the coming weeks as Gonzaga faces USF and Saint Mary’s, both teams whose whole strategy depends on out-rebounding their opponents.

A Balanced Attack

Gonzaga is one of the very few teams in the nation with 6 different players averaging double figures. That’s an absurd stat, frankly, and it’s all thanks to the vision, speed, and unselfishness of Ryan Nembhard.

Once again, 5 Zags finished with 10+ points last night: Ike had 13, Nolan Hickman had 12, Khalif Battle had 16, B-Huff had 17, and Ajayi added 10 to go along with a team-high 9 rebounds. Nembhard has turned this team into a pick-your-poison offense: no matter who the defense decides to double or trap, Nembhard will find the open man, or take the shot himself. While Gonzaga struggled (once again…) from beyond the arc, going 5-22 against Pacific, Nembhard was 2-4 on his own. In the last 3 games, he’s gone 5-10 from the deep, showing a newfound aggressiveness and a quick release when given clean looks.

A Lingering Concern

Pacific’s Lamar Washington has been on a heater lately and put up 22 points against the Zags last night (his second highest point total this season behind his 40-point outburst against WSU in January). He also grabbed 8 rebounds against the Zags and pretty much single-handedly kept things interesting for the Tigers down the stretch. He has the unique ability to get into the lane and elevate over smaller guards and Pacific’s Dave Smart has made it an effective cornerstone of the Tigers’ offense. Once again, the Zags didn’t have an answer for their opponent’s best player doing the thing he’s best at, over and over again. It’s become a frustrating trend this season and hopefully the need to occasionally shift defensive priorities can be achieved cleanly without compromising the integrity of the much-improved team defense. No one wants to get Stephen Curry’d again.

A New Step Forward

What’s been very encouraging to see in the last few weeks is that players are finding ways to contribute even when they’re not getting field goals. Khalif Battle went 1-6 from 3 but made up for it by going 9-9 from the free-throw line and playing some spectacular perimeter defense. Ben Gregg didn’t even take a shot last night but recorded 5 assists in just 14 minutes, matching his season-high. Emmanuel Innocenti, though a non-factor offensively, played a crucial role defensively, helping space the floor and serving as the main trapper in the increasingly effective full-court zone press. Nolan HIckman’s been quiet recently but against Pacific he put up 12 points and 4 steals plus a huge block on the perimeter. This team is evolving and improving in the right ways and at the right moment, players are continuing to discover their strengths, and it’s becoming rarer and rarer to see a Zag fail to make the most of their minutes.

With a much-improved defense, players stepping up in ways beyond the scoring column, and a pristine streak of 1 whole game without a weird technical foul called against them, the Zags are looking more and more like a team ready for the Big Dance. If their outside shooting rematerializes and the basketball gods reward their diligent efforts, they’ll continue to be very tough to beat during this crucial final stretch of conference play.

The Zags host the USF Dons on Thursday at 8:00 PM PST in another marquee in-conference matchup. With USF’s recent narrow win over Saint Mary’s, the top of the WCC leaderboard is on shaky ground and a W for the Zags would be a huge resume builder come March.

Go Zags!