Sixth-ranked Gonzaga opens with 101-63 victory over No. 8 Baylor
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Gonzaga beat No. 8 Baylor 101-63 at Spokane Arena on Monday night in the teams' season-opener.
Braden Huff added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who got their 19th consecutive season-opening victory. It was Gonzaga's biggest margin of victory over a top-10 opponent in school history, over a team it lost to in the 2021 National Championship game in Indianapolis and the 2022 Peacock Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Norchad Omier had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears. Robert Wright added 12 points and Josh Ojianwuna had 10.
The Bulldogs went on a 24-4 run in the second half to run away with the win. It was the first time Baylor lost by more than 30 points under coach Scott Drew.
Baylor: The Bears missed their first five shots and were 36.2% from the field in the first half. Drew’s squad couldn’t turn things around, ending the game at 37.1%, including 14.3% on 3-pointers.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs shot 57.1% from the field and 41.9% on 3s while topping 100 points against a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since its 100-90 victory over Alabama on Dec. 17, 2022.
Gonzaga outrebounded Baylor 45-32. The Bulldogs were particularly aggressive on the offensive boards, where they grabbed 16 rebounds to set up 17 second-chance points.
Khalif Battle made three consecutive 3-pointers to put Gonzaga ahead by more than 30 points with just over six minutes to play. The graduate student guard finished with 12 points, all from beyond the arc.
Baylor faces No. 16 Arkansas in Dallas on Saturday, and Gonzaga hosts Arizona State on Sunday.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:00 |  | Norchad Omier vs. Graham Ike (Bulldogs gains possession) | ||
| 19:39 | | Nolan Hickman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 19:37 |  | Jayden Nunn defensive rebound | ||
| 19:07 | | Jayden Nunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 19:05 | | VJ Edgecombe offensive rebound | ||
| 19:03 | | VJ Edgecombe misses two point layup | ||
| 19:01 | | Norchad Omier offensive rebound | ||
| 19:00 | | Graham Ike shooting foul (Norchad Omier draws the foul) | ||
| 19:00 | | +1 | Norchad Omier makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1-0 |
| 19:00 | | Norchad Omier misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 19:00 | | Ben Gregg defensive rebound | ||
| 18:39 | | Ben Gregg misses three point jump shot | ||
| 18:37 | | Graham Ike offensive rebound | ||
| 18:37 | | +2 | Graham Ike makes two point layup | 1-2 |
| 18:37 | | Jayden Nunn shooting foul (Graham Ike draws the foul) | ||
| 18:37 | | Graham Ike misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 18:37 | | Jayden Nunn defensive rebound | ||
| 18:14 | | VJ Edgecombe turnover (lost ball) (Nolan Hickman steals) | ||
| 18:12 | | VJ Edgecombe shooting foul (Ben Gregg draws the foul) | ||
| 18:12 | | +1 | Ben Gregg makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1-3 |
| 18:12 | | +1 | Ben Gregg makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 1-4 |
| 17:58 | | Jeremy Roach turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 17:45 | | Khalif Battle offensive foul | ||
| 17:45 | | Khalif Battle turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 17:25 | | VJ Edgecombe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 17:23 | | Bears offensive rebound | ||
| 17:19 | | VJ Edgecombe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 17:17 | | Ryan Nembhard defensive rebound | ||
| 17:07 | | +2 | Nolan Hickman makes two point layup | 1-6 |
| 16:47 | | Jayden Nunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 16:45 | | Graham Ike defensive rebound | ||
| 16:31 | | +2 | Ben Gregg makes two point layup (Graham Ike assists) | 1-8 |
| 16:17 | | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point layup | 3-8 |
| 15:50 | | Ryan Nembhard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:48 | | Ryan Nembhard offensive rebound | ||
| 15:47 | | Jeremy Roach blocks Ryan Nembhard's two point jump shot | ||
| 15:45 | | Jeremy Roach defensive rebound | ||
| 15:40 | | +2 | Jayden Nunn makes two point layup | 5-8 |
| 15:11 | | Graham Ike misses two point layup | ||
| 15:09 | | Jayden Nunn defensive rebound | ||
| 15:07 | | Norchad Omier misses two point jump shot | ||
| 15:05 | | Norchad Omier offensive rebound | ||
| 15:03 | | Ben Gregg shooting foul (Norchad Omier draws the foul) | ||
| 15:03 | | TV timeout | ||
| 15:03 | | Norchad Omier misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 15:03 | | +1 | Norchad Omier makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-8 |
| 14:46 | | Dusty Stromer misses three point jump shot | ||
| 14:44 | | VJ Edgecombe defensive rebound | ||
| 14:33 | | +3 | Jalen Celestine makes three point jump shot (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 9-8 |
| 14:07 | | +3 | Dusty Stromer makes three point jump shot (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 9-11 |
| 13:45 | | Jalen Celestine misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:43 | | Michael Ajayi defensive rebound | ||
| 13:38 | | Braden Huff misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:36 | | Dusty Stromer offensive rebound | ||
| 13:34 | | Dusty Stromer turnover (bad pass) (Josh Ojianwuna steals) | ||
| 13:28 | | Braden Huff blocks Jeremy Roach's two point layup | ||
| 13:26 | | Josh Ojianwuna offensive rebound | ||
| 13:22 | | Jeremy Roach misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:22 | | Robert O. Wright III offensive rebound | ||
| 13:22 | | Bears turnover | ||
| 13:00 | | +2 | Braden Huff makes two point layup (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 9-13 |
| 12:35 | | VJ Edgecombe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 12:33 | | Ryan Nembhard defensive rebound | ||
| 12:30 | | +3 | Dusty Stromer makes three point jump shot (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 9-16 |
| 12:10 | | Josh Ojianwuna turnover (bad pass) (Nolan Hickman steals) | ||
| 12:07 | | VJ Edgecombe blocks Nolan Hickman's two point layup | ||
| 12:05 | | Michael Ajayi offensive rebound | ||
| 11:57 | | +2 | Braden Huff makes two point layup | 9-18 |
| 11:30 | | +2 | Robert O. Wright III makes two point jump shot | 11-18 |
| 11:18 | | Braden Huff misses two point layup | ||
| 11:16 | | Michael Ajayi offensive rebound | ||
| 11:14 | | Michael Ajayi turnover (lost ball) (Josh Ojianwuna steals) | ||
| 11:14 | | TV timeout | ||
| 10:59 | | VJ Edgecombe turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 10:46 | | +2 | Braden Huff makes two point dunk (Ben Gregg assists) | 11-20 |
| 10:37 | | +3 | Jeremy Roach makes three point jump shot | 14-20 |
| 10:12 | | +3 | Dusty Stromer makes three point jump shot (Khalif Battle assists) | 14-23 |
| 9:54 | | Jeremy Roach misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:52 | | Dusty Stromer defensive rebound | ||
| 9:44 | | +2 | Braden Huff makes two point layup (Khalif Battle assists) | 14-25 |
| 9:44 | | Jump ball. Jeremy Roach vs. Dusty Stromer (Dusty Stromer gains possession) | ||
| 9:25 | | Jeremy Roach turnover (lost ball) (Dusty Stromer steals) | ||
| 9:13 | | Ryan Nembhard turnover (lost ball) (Norchad Omier steals) | ||
| 8:55 | | +2 | Norchad Omier makes two point layup (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 16-25 |
| 8:42 | | Braden Huff misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:40 | | Michael Ajayi offensive rebound | ||
| 8:39 | | +2 | Michael Ajayi makes two point layup | 16-27 |
| 8:15 | | Dusty Stromer personal foul | ||
| 8:00 | | Jalen Celestine misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:58 | | Dusty Stromer defensive rebound | ||
| 7:46 | | Khalif Battle misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Khalif Battle offensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | Michael Ajayi misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:39 | | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | ||
| 7:34 | | +2 | Jayden Nunn makes two point layup | 18-27 |
| 7:07 | | +3 | Khalif Battle makes three point jump shot (Braden Huff assists) | 18-30 |
| 6:46 | | Robert O. Wright III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Nolan Hickman defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | Jalen Celestine personal foul | ||
| 6:44 | | TV timeout | ||
| 6:22 | | +2 | Nolan Hickman makes two point jump shot (Dusty Stromer assists) | 18-32 |
| 6:04 | | Michael Ajayi personal foul | ||
| 5:59 | | Norchad Omier misses two point layup | ||
| 5:57 | | Nolan Hickman defensive rebound | ||
| 5:57 | | Josh Ojianwuna personal foul | ||
| 5:34 | | +2 | Nolan Hickman makes two point jump shot | 18-34 |
| 5:09 | | Jeremy Roach misses two point jump shot | ||
| 5:07 | | VJ Edgecombe offensive rebound | ||
| 5:03 | | +2 | Robert O. Wright III makes two point layup | 20-34 |
| 4:38 | | Nolan Hickman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:36 | | Graham Ike offensive rebound | ||
| 4:33 | | Dusty Stromer misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:31 | | Josh Ojianwuna defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +2 | Josh Ojianwuna makes two point dunk (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 22-34 |
| 4:01 | | Graham Ike misses two point layup | ||
| 3:59 | | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +2 | Robert O. Wright III makes two point layup | 24-34 |
| 3:41 | | +2 | Ben Gregg makes two point layup (Graham Ike assists) | 24-36 |
| 3:41 | | Norchad Omier shooting foul (Ben Gregg draws the foul) | ||
| 3:41 | | TV timeout | ||
| 3:41 | | +1 | Ben Gregg makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-37 |
| 3:18 | | +2 | Jeremy Roach makes two point jump shot | 26-37 |
| 3:09 | | Jalen Celestine personal foul | ||
| 3:09 | | Jalen Celestine personal foul | ||
| 3:09 | | Graham Ike misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 3:09 | | Norchad Omier defensive rebound | ||
| 3:00 | | Michael Ajayi blocks VJ Edgecombe's two point layup | ||
| 2:58 | | Graham Ike defensive rebound | ||
| 2:50 | | Khalif Battle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:48 | | Graham Ike offensive rebound | ||
| 2:46 | | +3 | Ryan Nembhard makes three point jump shot (Graham Ike assists) | 26-40 |
| 2:24 | | Robert O. Wright III misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:22 | | Khalif Battle defensive rebound | ||
| 2:22 | | Josh Ojianwuna personal foul (Graham Ike draws the foul) | ||
| 2:22 | | +1 | Graham Ike makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-41 |
| 2:22 | | +1 | Graham Ike makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-42 |
| 2:08 | | +2 | VJ Edgecombe makes two point layup (Robert O. Wright III assists) | 28-42 |
| 2:03 | | Graham Ike turnover (traveling) | ||
| 1:51 | | Norchad Omier misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:49 | | VJ Edgecombe offensive rebound | ||
| 1:48 | | Khalif Battle blocks VJ Edgecombe's two point jump shot | ||
| 1:46 | | Nolan Hickman defensive rebound | ||
| 1:43 | | +2 | Nolan Hickman makes two point layup | 28-44 |
| 1:22 | | Braden Huff personal foul | ||
| 1:19 | | Jayden Nunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:17 | | Bulldogs defensive rebound | ||
| 1:05 | | +2 | Ben Gregg makes two point layup (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 28-46 |
| 0:43 | | Norchad Omier misses two point jump shot | ||
| 0:41 | | Ben Gregg defensive rebound | ||
| 0:29 | | +3 | Nolan Hickman makes three point jump shot (Ryan Nembhard assists) | 28-49 |
| 0:01 | | Ryan Nembhard personal foul (Jeremy Roach draws the foul) | ||
| 0:01 | | +1 | Jeremy Roach makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-49 |
| 0:01 | | +1 | Jeremy Roach makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-49 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |