Gonzaga passes on stress, coasts past Pacific 78-61: ‘Our defense was really good’

STOCKTON, Calif. – Gonzaga coach Mark Few has never lost to Pacific, but he’s accustomed to stress being part of the ambience when Zags play inside the Spanos Center.

Until Saturday, that is.

Few’s 22nd career win over Pacific was a product of the Bulldogs’ stingy defense and the Tigers’ errant shooting, even when they had some decent looks in the paint. It led to a largely stress-free 78-61 victory in the 44-year-old arena – the same building where some of Few’s finest teams have been in battles deep into the second half.

“Our defense was really good, man,” Few said in a crowded stairwell outside Gonzaga’s locker room. “We’ve had three good games in a row where we’ve been active, we’re making plays and not just sitting back. And we’re doing a good job dictating to the other team what we want them to do and for the most part the numbers have shown that.”

The numbers always seem to add up for Gonzaga senior point guard Ryan Nembhard, who broke the school’s single-season assist record (243) he set last year. He did it in style, floating a lob pass in transition that was dunked home by Khalif Battle near the midpoint of the second half for his sixth assist of the game and 244th of the season.

“There’s nobody better than him, creating baskets for other people,” Few said. “That’s a very worthy mark.”

Nembhard broke the ice with his first assist 12 minutes into the first half. They came regularly thereafter, as he had four by halftime and finished with eight.

Gonzaga’s offense was out of sync early but connected more as the half progressed. Pacific rarely found smooth sailing in the opening 20 minutes. The Tigers, who had five airballs on perimeter shots and missed at least five shots around the rim from point-blank range, made just 27.6% from the field and had more turnovers (nine) than baskets (eight).

“We all understand that defense is a huge part of our team and huge part of winning,” Nembhard said. “I think we’ve all buckled down. It’s a collective effort from the guys knowing what we need to do to get the ‘W.’ “

The Zags took their first-double-digit lead (23-11) on Michael Ajayi’s three-point play. The margin reached 15 points on Battle’s 3-pointer before the Tigers ended a five-minute, five-second dry spell.

Ajayi finished with 10 points and nine boards. The senior forward has scored in double figures in three of the past five games while averaging 7.8 rebounds.

“I thought Mike was really active, just in there battling and doing what he does,” Few said. “He gives us a lot of versatility on the defensive end, which helps. He can guard ‘1’ through ‘5’. That allows us to do some things differently. He rebounded the ball well, and he had some nice finishes.”

So did Braden Huff, who led Gonzaga with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Huff contributed five points in a 7-0 run to close the half, giving the Zags a 35-20 lead. Huff scored inside over two defenders while being fouled. The 6-foot-10 sophomore then dribbled three-fourths of the court after a Pacific turnover for another basket.

“I kind of waved (Nembhard) off,” said Huff, with Nembhard standing alongside. “I kind of wanted to be a point guard for a little bit just to feel what it’s like to be him.”

“That’s smart,” the point guard interjected. “You should do that a little more, honestly.”

Nolan Hickman’s floater pushed Gonzaga’s lead to 35-20.

Huff and Ajayi spurred Gonzaga’s 30-14 advantage in bench points. Dusty Stromer played nine minutes in his return from a one-game absence due to an illness.

Hickman posted a solid stat line with 12 points, three rebounds, two 3-pointers, four steals and one block.

“As I told the team in (the locker room), Nolan did a great job,” Few said. “He was guarding the post, got some steals, jumped up and blocked a shot on a bigger guy. He was kind of the head of our defense making plays.”

Senior post Graham Ike took over early in the second half, scoring 11 points as the Zags’ lead quickly grew to 22. Gonzaga, 23-point favorites, led by as many as 28, but the Tigers kept battling to make it a 17-point final margin with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Five Zags scored in double digits. Battle made all nine of his free-throw attempts and chipped in 16 points and Ike added 13.

Gonzaga improved to 18-7 overall, 9-3 in the West Coast Conference. The Zags entertain San Francisco (20-6, 10-3) on Thursday. The Dons edged Loyola Marymount 72-66 Saturday in Los Angeles to remain a half-game ahead of GU in second place.