Gonzaga Overwhelms WSU 88-75 with Explosive Second Half

Nembhard’s Comeback and Hickman’s Hot Hand Lead Gonzaga to Victory

If the metric for evaluating this team’s performance is their ability to consistently take the right steps forward, Gonzaga’s 88-75 win over WSU was a resounding success. The box score doesn’t do justice to just how one-sided his game actually was. Despite WSU’s best efforts, the Kennel was alive last night, and the Zags made sure the now-returned student section had plenty to cheer about.

As always, there are things to clean up (defensive switches on perimeter ball screens), and a few tweaks to tweak (the Nembhard/Battle alley-almost-oop). But the Zags are getting themselves back into fighting trim, one step at a time, and it’s ridiculously fun to watch.

First Half: Chippy, Competitive, and Close

For the game’s first 20 minutes, the WSU-Gonzaga rivalry looked poised to deliver another Spokane-versus-Palouse barnburner. Gonzaga’s early offensive strategy was all about getting Nolan Hickman rolling and letting Graham Ike keep doing what Graham Ike does. Wazzu, meanwhile, focused on containing Ryan Nembhard in the half court and feeding 6’11” Dane Erikstrup for quick buckets inside.

The result was a blow-for-blow street fight—chippy, physical, and full of moments that will definitely show up in next year’s pregame Jumbotron hype video at the Kennel. For better or worse, the refs let both teams play, and while it made for fun basketball, it was also jaw-clenchingly anxiety-inducing for the entire first half.

Lejuan Watts was trouble for the Zags from the start. His quickness, physicality, and ability to hit tough, contested shots over solid defensive coverage kept WSU competitive early on. Credit also goes to Nate Calmese, who’s been deftly running the show all season for the Cougs. He finished the half with six assists and single-handedly kept things tight heading toward halftime. He led the Cougs in scoring and finished with 20 points 8 assists. WSU would be wise to do everything they can to keep the three-schools-in-three-years-already junior from hitting the transfer portal for a fourth time this offseason.

The big story for the Zags in the first half, though, was the sheer absence of Ryan Nembhard. He was there, but not there. The Ryan we’ve come to know—the one who passes, scores, rebounds, and avoids turnovers—was nowhere to be found. Instead, first-half Ryan finished with just three marks on his stat sheet: one turnover, two fouls, and zero everything else. WSU’s defensive focus certainly played a part, but the grocery bags under his eyes and the heavy breathing suggested that it was actually the gnarly flu bug we’ve heard so much about doing the heavy lifting in minimizing his first half impact.

Thankfully, Nolan Hickman showed up. With Nembhard benched for much of the first half, saddled with foul trouble and general badness, Hickman kept a steady hand at the wheel. He went 3-for-5 from deep and managed the offense like the seasoned veteran he is. He got some help from Dusty Stromer, who put up eight points and delivered one of the highlight-reel blocks of the season. Stromer and Khalif Battle’s defense against Erikstrup deserves particular praise as their physicality and quick hands were the primary reason WSU’s biggest offensive weapon was 2-for-7 heading into halftime.

After trailing by as many as six, the Bulldogs tightened things up late in the half and started hitting shots. They went into the locker room up 40-37. The rivalry looked renewed. Things looked competitive and evenly matched.

And then…

Second Half: Nembhard Wakes Up, Zags Pull Away

They didn’t anymore.

Apparently no one was more displeased at Ryan Nembhard’s first half performance than Ryan Nembhard. Gonzaga came out of the locker room and delivered a second half that completely gutted the Cougs. Nembhard, who looked like a ghost in the first half, came back to life and absolutely took over. Whatever he did at halftime—fluids? Oxygen? More vomiting? A quick séance to channel the spirit of Jerry West?—worked.

Nembhard finished with nine points and five assists, all in the second half. His step-back three over Nate Calmese who he’d just crossed up and sent sailing will live in my head for the rest of the season. What a play. What a player. Gonzaga needed a second-half boost to pull away, and Nembhard answered the call. Before you could even say, “Oh my god, Ryan Nembhard is good at basketball,” the Zags were up 20 on the Cougs.

The Nolan Hickman Show

As much as Nembhard’s second-half comeback deserves praise, it was Nolan Hickman’s night. From the opening tip, Hickman played like the guy fans have always known he was. He went 5-for-8 from three, finished with a season-high 19 points on 70% shooting, and added 7 rebounds and 3 assists. In 38 minutes of action, he committed just 1 turnover and was the only starter to finish with 0 fouls. It wasn’t just a great game—it was a long awaited return to form.

Seeing Hickman get hyped for himself and watching his teammates celebrate him in front of a home crowd that’s supported him through thick and thin nearly brought a tear to this sentimental Zag fan’s eye.

Ben Gregg also continued to do a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs last night. Mr. Zag chipped in 11 points and 9 boards (5 of which were offensive). He also tied a career high 5 assists and hit the Cougs with an absolute dagger from outside to cap off a devastating Gonzaga second half blitz that ultimately put things out of reach for WSU.

Big Men Feast

While the backcourt stole the spotlight, the Zags’ big men quietly dominated. Graham Ike led all scorers with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Over the past few weeks, Ike’s been averaging 17.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, and he’s clearly finding his groove against double- and triple-teams. The Cougs didn’t have an answer for him—or for Braden Huff, who played just nine minutes but still put up 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night. Gonzaga’s big men are making a statement right now, and it’s hard not to notice.

Energy Restored

For the first time in weeks, the Kennel felt electric. The crowd was loud, the players fed off the energy, and Gonzaga looked like a team hitting its stride. The Zags left with a strong victory, valuable game film, and plenty of momentum as they prepare for Oregon State.