Khalif Battle scored all 19 of his points in the second half as No. 6 Gonzaga avoided an upset bid, outlasting Arizona State 88-80 on Sunday in a nonconference game in Spokane, Wash.
Braden Huff came off the bench to score 21 points for the Bulldogs (2-0). Guard Ryan Nembhard registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists, and Michael Ajayi had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Nolan Hickman and Graham Ike scored nine apiece.
Basheer Jihad led the Sun Devils (2-1) with a game-high 22 points as well as 10 rebounds. Alston Mason added 19 points and BJ Freeman scored 12. Freshman Jayden Quaintance, at 17 the youngest player in college basketball, scored nine points in the first half but didn’t attempt a shot in the second before fouling out in the final minute.
Gonzaga shot 50 percent from the field (31 of 62), was 8 of 24 from 3-point range and dominated bench scoring (36-19) and fast-break points (19-9). ASU shot 47.6 percent (30 of 63) from the floor and was 9 of 29 from long range.
Battle made two key baskets in the final 10 minutes.
With the Bulldogs trailing, Huff dove to the floor to make a steal at midcourt and got the ball to Nembhard. He looked ahead and found Battle for an alley-oop dunk that tied the score at 63-all with 8:48 remaining and sent the crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center into a frenzy.
With 2:52 to go, Nembhard found a wide-open Battle in the left corner and he knocked down a 3-pointer to put Gonzaga up 78-73. ASU never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
Battle added four free throws in the final 19 seconds to help clinch the victory.
It was tied at 38-all after a back-and-forth first half.
The Sun Devils opened the game with a 7-1 run, only to see Gonzaga go on a 12-4 spurt to take the lead.
A 3-pointer by Dusty Stromer gave the Bulldogs a 31-23 lead with 5:34 left in the half before an 11-0 run by Arizona State put the Sun Devils back in front.
ASU’s Amier Ali grabbed a long offensive rebound and made a jumper from the free-throw line as the half ended to tie the score.
–Field Level Media
