Ben Gregg scored a career-high 24 points as No. 3 Gonzaga took control in the primary half and quickly took the lead within the second, defeating Davidson 90-65 within the fifth-place game in Friday’s Battle 4 Atlantis game at Paradise Island. Bahamas.
The Bulldogs (7-1) posted their sixth double-digit victory this season, and followed up their impressive 89-73 victory over 14th-ranked Indiana with one other strong performance.
Gregg broke his previous profession high of twenty-two against San Diego on January 6. He made 8 of 10 shots, all seven of his free throw attempts and grabbed eight rebounds as Gonzaga shot 54.7% and scored 58 points within the paint.
Graham Ike had a double-double with 18 and 10 rebounds and Braden Huff added 14 points as Gonzaga got a quiet night from leading scorer Khalifa Battle. It was a four-point battle with 1 of seven from the sphere, however the Bulldogs had good enough, including Ryan Nembhard’s career-high 14 assists.
Reed Bailey scored 19 points and Roberts Blum added 11 for Davidson (5-2), which lost for the second time within the event after a 33-point loss to No. 24 Arizona within the opening round. The Wildcats also had quiet games from Connor Kochera and Bobby Durkin, who combined for 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting after a stellar performance in Thursday’s win over Providence.
Gonzaga took a 28-18 lead when Nembhard found Huff within the lane, who made a hook shot with 7:51 left on an 8-0 run. Nembhard’s three-point play prolonged the result in 33-19 with 7:08 left, Gregg’s trey made it 36-21 with 5:23 left and the Bulldogs led 42-31 at halftime.
Gonzaga scored the primary nine points of the second half to open up a 51-31 lead on Ike’s layup with 16:41 left. With 13:24 left, Nolan Hickman’s three-pointer prolonged the result in 60-37, and two minutes later, Gregg’s three-pointer opened a 65-38 advantage.
–Field level media
