Gonzaga lets its play do the talking in 105-62 blowout over Portland
PORTLAND – After absorbing consecutive West Coast Conference losses last week for the first time in 11 years, Gonzaga had some honest conversations and physical practices in preparation for Saturday’s game against Portland.
Every player had an opportunity to voice their opinion, and Ryan Nembhard didn’t mince words.
“We were all just talking as a group, as a team,” senior forward Michael Ajayi said, “and Ryan was like, ‘Hey man, ain’t no more talking, just action.’ That’s what we did (vs. Portland). We felt the pain we had during that loss (to Santa Clara on Jan. 18). We don’t want to feel like that ever again. Shoutout to Ryan.”
Gonzaga shook up its starting five, inserting Braden Huff and Emmanuel Innocenti and bringing Graham Ike and Khalif Battle off the bench, but it was Ben Gregg, who became a starter in the last shake-up just over three weeks ago, and Nembhard, who has started all 56 games in his GU tenure, that helped the Zags turn the page on their recent rough patch.
Gregg didn’t miss a shot while equaling his career high with 24 points and Nembhard posted double-digit assists for the 13th time this season as the Zags crushed Portland 105-62 Saturday at the Chiles Center.
“I liked our spirit, our approach, our teamness,” head coach Mark Few said. “We did a really nice job defensively for long stretches. That’s kind of what we worked on this week.
“Offensively, we had good flow, good diversity. We posted up, we hit 3s, we came off screens well. We had 31 assists, which was incredible. All good. Great response after what we’ve been through here the last week.”
Gregg, from nearby Clackamas, Oregon, received a nice ovation when he was introduced with the starting unit. The 6-foot-10 senior hit all 10 of his shots, including four beyond the 3-point line. Gregg’s 10 made field goals are the most without a miss in Mark Few’s 26 seasons as head coach.
It was easily Gregg’s best game in Portland. He had 13 points last season at the Chiles Center.
“It’s nothing you really expect to do shooting that well, especially with the year I’ve been having from the field, especially from the 3-point line,” Gregg said. “It was a nice change of pace for me.
“I just realized on the bus ride over this is probably going to be my last time playing in Portland and having the chance to play in front of family and friends. Just embraced the moment and enjoyed every moment. Just looking into the crowd and seeing people I knew, it was a pretty special moment.”
Nembhard made another run at Blake Stepp’s school-record 16 assists, but he had extended minutes on the bench after picking up his third foul early in the second half with the Zags holding a comfortable lead.
He finished with 13 assists in 26 minutes. He had 15 assists in Gonzaga’s loss to Santa Clara. The Zags’ 31 assists tied for second on GU’s single-game list.
“We had a little team meeting,” Gregg said. “We had conversations that we’ve been having about things we need to change and things we need to work on. We talk about it all the time, but it’s just a matter of putting it on the court now.
“Ryan stepped up as a leader, being more vocal. I know he’s not super comfortable with that sometimes. So for him to step up, our point guard who everybody trusts and looks up to and respects to say something like that, we all agreed and put it on the court.”
Michael Ajayi scored a season-high 20 points, Huff chipped in 12 points and Innocenti added eight points and five assists. Nolan Hickman had 13 points and four steals. Ike contributed 14 points and four assists .
GU didn’t face much resistance against the Pilots, who are 11th (last) in the conference in scoring defense at 80.1 points per game. Gonzaga surpassed 80 points with 8:36 remaining when Nembhard’s 12th assist led to Ajayi’s three-point play. The Zags made nearly 63% from the field and 54.5% on 3-pointers.
Gonzaga’s defense, which allowed 200 points in losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara, did its part. Portland junior Max Mackinnon, who scored 43 points against San Diego on Thursday to match the school’s single-game record, finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Freshman forward Austin Rapp added 16 points, but GU limited the Pilots to 34.5% from the field, including 29.2% on 3s.
“It was nice (on defense),” Ajayi said. “Especially the guards, how they guarded in the post, how we were executing our coverages.”
Gonzaga (15-6, 6-2 WCC) moved back into second place with its second blowout victory over the Pilots (7-15, 2-7) this month. Saint Mary’s (18-3, 8-0) rallied past Washington State to stay in first by two games. GU entertains Oregon State on Tuesday before facing the Gaels on Saturday in Moraga, California.