SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Gonzaga defeated No. 8 Baylor 101-63 in the teams’ season opener Monday night at Spokane Arena.

Braden Huff added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who earned their 19th consecutive season-opening victory. It was Gonzaga’s largest margin of victory against a top-10 opponent in school history, over the team it lost to in the 2021 National Championship game in Indianapolis and the 2022 Peacock Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Norchad Omier played with 15 points and 9 rebounds for Bears. Robert Wright scored 12 points and Josh Ojianwuna scored 10 points.

The Bulldogs ran away with the victory with a 24-4 run in the second half. It was the first time Baylor lost by more than 30 points under coach Scott Drew.

takeaway

Baylor: The Bears missed their first five shots and shot 36.2% in the first half. Drew’s team couldn’t turn things around and finished the game shooting 37.1%, including 14.3% from three.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs reached 100 points on 57.1% shooting from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range against a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since a 100-90 victory over Alabama on Dec. 17, 2022.

Key Statistics

Gonzaga outrebounded Baylor 45-32. The Bulldogs were particularly aggressive on offense, grabbing 16 rebounds and scoring 17 second-chance points.

Key Moment

Khalif Battle hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put Gonzaga ahead by more than 30 points with just over six minutes remaining. The graduate student guard finished the game with 12 points, all from beyond the arc.

Next

Baylor will face 16th-ranked Arkansas on Saturday in Dallas, and Gonzaga will face Arizona State on Sunday.

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