Khalif Battle and Graham Ike combine for 53 in Gonzaga’s 96-68 win over Loyola Marymount

Michael Ajayi chipped in 15 points and Ryan Nembhard notched yet another double-double in Gonzaga’s most complete team win in weeks.

Any time the Zags win by 28 points is cause for celebration—and a 96-68 victory over LMU featuring some herculean efforts from some individual players and a revitalized defense on the other end certainly offered plenty to celebrate.

Much like they did against Portland, Gonzaga once again came out last night with energy and intensity against the Lions, finding ways to score quickly and from all three levels. It was clear the Zags’ directive from tipoff was to lock down on perimeter defense, push the pace on offense, and look for easy baskets as quickly as possible. And while the Zags struggled to maintain that intensity at times, LMU never really found a way to keep the game competitive against the Bulldogs.

Among many, one major highlight of Gonzaga’s performance was Graham Ike’s continued dominance in the frontcourt. Ike poured in 27 points and led the team in rebounds last night with 9. Khalif Battle also posted a new season-high 26 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Remarkably, both players did all this in just 25 minutes of action each. After games like last night’s, it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when Graham Ike’s starting role was in question; over the last 8 games, he’s averaged 19 PPG on 59% shooting, including 6-of-9 from the 3-point line. What an absolute stud.

One of the big questions coming into last night’s game was whether the Zags would be able to continue showing off the improved 3-point shooting they displayed against Portland. The answer is, kind of. Battle had an extremely hot night from deep, but aside from him, the Zags only took 11 3-pointers (of which they made just 3). If anything, last night showed that they do not want to become overly dependent on the outside shot until they can count on it more consistently.

Establishing more stability and consistency in their game is crucial for the team going forward, but their enhanced defensive efforts, stronger starts, and rapidly improving team chemistry provide plenty of reasons for optimism.

First Half: High Energy Play and Ajayi’s Resurgence

Like he did against Portland, Ben Gregg once again got the starting nod over Michael Ajayi last night, and it seems the lineup change is paying off—for both the team and for Ajayi individually. From the opening whistle, Gonzaga set the pace to “Really Really Fast” and capitalized on LMU’s inability to keep up. Ben Gregg might just prove once again to be the secret sauce to helping the Bulldogs come out with better energy. Ben was all over the floor defensively and came up with some key rebounds, bodying up LMU’s frontcourt and finding outlet passes to keep things moving in transition.

Speaking of defense, the Zags also played some of the most aggressive and efficient perimeter defense we’ve seen all season, picking up LMU’s guards from halfcourt and clogging passing lanes to keep the ball away from LMU’s rangy and athletic frontcourt.

One aspect of Gonzaga’s first-half performance that deserves special attention was their treatment of LMU’s star, Jevon Porter. Ben Gregg and Michael Ajayi deserve credit for holding Porter to a rough 1-of-7 shooting performance in the first half while also keeping him off the boards. By midway through the first half, Porter found himself saddled with 3 fouls and watched the rest of the half from the sidelines. Despite the size disparity, both Gregg and Ajayi did an exceptional job of keeping the 6’11” Porter uncomfortable and out of rhythm.

The big story of the first half, however, was Michael Ajayi’s breakout offensive performance. After some tough games and a move out of the starting lineup, Ajayi came off the bench for the second time this season and absolutely came alive against LMU, finishing the first half with 11 points, including his first 3-pointer since November 28. Of all the encouraging takeaways from this game, Ajayi’s resurgence as a scoring threat stands out the most. When he’s playing within the pace of the game and not pushing things too much he’s incredibly fun to watch. Hopefully, his performance against LMU is the confidence boost he needs to keep putting up points.

Meanwhile, Coach Few’s experiment with the Nembhard-less lineup continued. At the 8-minute Mark, Nembhard took a seat and gave Hickman the reins at point guard, while Battle moved to shooting guard, and Stromer stepped in on the wing. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this lineup work, but it does (if chaotically). Ryan Nembhard remains the team’s anchor and most effective ballhandler, but playing fewer minutes could make him even more effective down the stretch if he’s able to catch a breather before halftime.

At the end of the half, the Zags led by 20 and actually looked to be playing like a top-5 team once again.

Second Half: Ike and Battle Maintain Control

The second half started a little more unevenly than the first. Despite continued strong performances from Ike and Battle, some familiar issues resurfaced for the Zags. LMU’s Will Johnston caught fire from outside, finishing 4-of-5 from three-point range, and Jevon Porter made his return to the lineup, set to prove that rumors of his skill and athleticism were not exaggerated. The officiating also took a turn, with fouls piling up for Gonzaga, especially on their perimeter defense. For a stretch, nobody could stop Khalif Battle on offense except for Khalif Battle on defense. He also took a seat for a good chunk of the second half after a few quick whistles away from the ball. By the 11-minute mark, LMU was in the double bonus, and Ben Gregg found himself shaking off a gnarly blow to the face—of course, it was called a foul on him.

Despite the stop-and-start nature of a second half hindered by an overzealous officiating crew, the Zags never let LMU close the gap. The Lions made a push, but Battle, Nembhard, Ajayi, and Ike proved to be too much to stop. By the end of the game, Ryan Nembhard had notched his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 assists, Battle and Ike had combined for 53 of the team’s 96 points, and Michael Ajayi tied his season high with 15 points, more than he had scored in the previous five games combined.

The Bigger Picture

Despite the jaw-dropping performances of Ike and Battle, there were some concerning stats in the box score as well. Nolan Hickman played 27 minutes and chipped in just 5 points on 2-of-8 shooting. Unfortunately, Hickman’s unpredictability as a scorer has become the most predictable aspect of his game this season. Braden Huff also shot 1-of-7 from the field in his 14 minutes of action and didn’t exactly stuff the stat sheet elsewhere (2 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 fouls). It was an uncharacteristically rough night for Huff, and he looked a little worse for wear by the final buzzer. Dusty Stromer failed to match his previous effort against Portland but his on-ball defense remains an essential part of Gonzaga’s ability to keep opposing guards from getting clean looks.

Last night’s lopsided team effort was more than enough to seal an easy win against a team like LMU, currently ranked 137th in KenPom, but the simple fact is that two players alone will not account for over half of your team’s point total every night. The defense looked really good for all 40 minutes, something we’ve not seen so far this season, but offensively, the question remains: how do they get all of these players clicking on the same night, and how can they come to depend on that synergy game after game?

They’ll have another chance to find out on Jan 8 at home against San Diego. Tipoff is at 6:00 PM, with local coverage provided by KHQ and national “coverage” on ESPN+.