SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Graham Ike had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 13 Gonzaga moved past an early cold spell to beat Bucknell 86-65 on Saturday night.
Ben Gregg scored 15 points and Nolan Hickman added 14 for the Bulldogs (9-3), who improved to 6-0 at home.
Ike was the only Zag to score in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the game. He kept Gonzaga afloat with a trio of buckets in the paint and a 3-pointer from the left wing. Gregg’s 3 tied the game at 12-all with 12:31 left in the first half.
From there, the Zags ran out to a 38-27 halftime lead and stretched their lead to 20 points with a 9-0 run to open the second half.
Noah Williamson led Bucknell (4-8) with 16 points and Josh Bascoe added 14.
Takeaways
Bucknell: After six straight losses, the Bison have one more nonconference game before starting Patriot League play.
Gonzaga: None of Gonzaga’s opponents have shot at least 33% from 3-point range. The Zags held Bucknell to 32.3% (10 of 31).
Key moment
Bucknell made five 3-pointers, three by Bascoe, in a span of just over three minutes in the second half but only got within 60-47 in that stretch. Gregg responded with a 3 that began a 9-0 run for Gonzaga.
Key stat
Gonzaga scored 24 points off Bucknell’s 19 turnovers. The Zags finished with 10 steals, including four by Ryan Nembhard, who also had nine points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Up next
Bucknell: At Syracuse next Saturday.
Gonzaga: Faces No. 18 UCLA in the West Coast Hoops Showdown next Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
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