No. 11 Gonzaga cruises past Southern California

Field Level Media|published: Sun 3rd December, 24:32 2023

Nov 21, 2023; Honolulu, HI, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few gives instructions to his team in the second half while playing the Syracuse Orange at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. credits: Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Nembhard recorded 15 points and seven assists, Dusty Stromer shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range and added another 15 points, and No. 11 Gonzaga cruised past Southern California 89-76 in the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday.

Gonzaga (6-1) shot a red-hot 12-of-22 from beyond the 3-point arc, led by Stromer's effort. Stromer and Nembhard paced six Bulldogs scorers in double figures, while all seven Gonzaga players to log more than one minute of game time posted at least nine points.

Graham Ike recorded a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, doing his part to give Gonzaga a 39-33 edge on the glass. Ben Gregg added eight rebounds and another 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, and was one of four Bulldogs to make multiple 3-pointers.

Braden Huff, who matched Gregg's 2-of-3 shooting from deep, finished with 12 points. Nolan Hickman went 2-of-4 from 3-point range and had 10 points.

Anton Watson finished with nine points, five rebounds and three steals for the Bulldogs. Hickman had two steals and Ike added another, with the six thefts contributing to 10 total turnovers from USC.

Boogie Ellis shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range and scored a game-high 28 points for the Trojans (5-3). Isaiah Collier added 14 points and distributed six assists.

No other USC scorer reached double figures. Arrinten Page posted nine points, while Kobe Johnson added seven points but shot just 3-of-10 from the floor.

The Trojans more turnovers, with Gonzaga coughing up possession 13 times, but the Bulldogs had a 15-10 edge in points off turnovers. Gonzaga also outscored USC on fastbreak opportunities, 21-8.

The Trojans never led after digging a 14-point hole less than seven minutes into the first half. Gonzaga kept USC at arm's length much of the way after the 20-6 start.

Any hope the Trojans had of mounting a second-half comeback evaporated when Gonzaga put together bursts of 14-6 and 9-2.

The Bulldogs' largest lead was 18.

—Field Level Media