Khalif Battle recorded 24 points and eight rebounds as eighth-seeded Gonzaga trampled ninth-seeded Georgia 89-68 on Thursday in Midwest Region first-round play at Wichita, Kan.
Braden Huff added 18 points and eight rebounds as Gonzaga came charging out of the gates like Secretariat with a 27-3 ambush in a battle of two teams named Bulldogs.
“Honestly, the first possession I felt that,” Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman said about his team’s hot start. “My guys are calm and composed, very energetic and ready to go. I don’t want to bash any of the Georgia guys, but it showed in the first possession of the game.”
Gonzaga won its first-round NCAA Tournament game for the 16th straight time.
“We take a lot of pride. … We can’t win if we don’t do it together as a collective unit,” Battle said. “I feel like if we go there playing hard, we can’t be stopped.”
Hickman made five 3-pointers and scored 18 points for Gonzaga (26-8). Graham Ike added 13 points as the Zags won their fifth straight contest overall.
Gonzaga will face top-seeded Houston on Saturday. A victory would give the Zags their 10th consecutive Sweet 16 berth.
Asa Newell registered 20 points and eight rebounds for Georgia (20-13), which was part of the NCAA field for the first time since 2015.
Silas Demary Jr. had 15 points and Blue Cain and Somto Cyril added 10 apiece for Georgia.
Gonzaga, which scored the game’s first 13 points, shot a stellar 55 percent from the field, including a sizzling 12 of 20 from 3-point range. Ryan Nembhard contributed eight assists and three steals.
Georgia made 35 percent of its attempts and was a dismal 5 of 26 from behind the arc.
Despite struggling at times during the regular season, Gonzaga never trailed in this one while making its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
“It is a vintage Gonzaga team because it got itself to the NCAA tournament and it’s advancing,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I think when the standard is national championship or bust, it’s hard to live with.”
Hickman made all four 3-point attempts while scoring 15 first-half points for the Zags, who led 48-27 at the break. Battle had 14 points and seven rebounds for Gonzaga, which was 8 of 11 from 3-point range and shot 58.6 percent overall in the half.
Newell had 10 points in the half for Georgia, which shot just 27.6 percent and was 1 of 13 from behind the arc in the first half.
Ike’s jumper gave Gonzaga a 13-0 lead just more than 3 1/2 minutes into the game. Newell scored Georgia’s first basket with 15:48 left in the half.
A short time later, the Zags ratted off 12 straight points and took the 27-3 lead on Ben Gregg’s basket with 11:44 remaining.
Battle’s trey made it 30-5 with 11:01 left in the half.
“Tough day for our program. Didn’t see that coming, didn’t anticipate that outcome, especially the first 10 minutes of the game,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “Gonzaga is really good. Perhaps under-seeded.
“We just played a team that’s been to, what, nine straight Sweet 16s. How do you get to nine straight Sweet 16s? You get to tournaments consistently and you win, and you get winning experience.”
The 21-point halftime deficit was too much for Georgia. It pulled within 64-48 on a 3-pointer by Cain with 12:24 remaining before Gonzaga answered with nine straight points. Huff’s basket increased the margin to 25 with 9:51 to go.
The lead topped out at 26.
–Field Level Media
