Graham Ike scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Khalif Battle added a season-high 26 points to help No. 19 Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount 96-68 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Ike made 12 of 16 field goals, and Battle was 10 of 12 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from three-point range. Michael Ajayi contributed 15 points, and Ryan Nembhard had 10 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-4, 3-0 WCC).
Will Johnston scored 18 points, and Jevon Porter added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Lions (9-7, 1-3). Loyola Marymount has now lost 13 consecutive home games to Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs shot 52.8 percent overall, including 7 of 16 from three-point range. Battle had three steals, helping Gonzaga score 17 points off Loyola Marymount’s turnovers.
Loyola Marymount shot 38.2 percent from the field and made 8 of 24 from behind the arc. The Lions committed 14 turnovers.
Gonzaga led by 18 points at halftime and quickly extended their lead in the second half. Nembhard’s layup made it 59-35 with 15:20 left, and Battle followed with a three-pointer to give Gonzaga a 65-38 lead.
The Lions managed to cut the gap to 69-52 after a three-pointer from Porter with 8:48 remaining. However, Gonzaga responded with a 10-3 run to push the lead to 24 points.
Battle’s three-point play extended the margin to 88-60 with 4:07 to go, sealing the win for the Zags.
At halftime, Gonzaga led 46-28, with Ike scoring 14 points, Ajayi adding 11, and Battle contributing 10. The game was tied at 7-7 before Gonzaga went on an 18-6 run to take a 25-13 lead. Ajayi’s dunk capped the run with 8:50 left in the first half. Later, Battle scored five consecutive points to spark a 9-0 run that gave Gonzaga a 44-22 lead with 1:59 remaining in the first half.
