No. 18 Gonzaga takes care of Washington St. with strong second half

Graham Ike posted 21 points on Saturday night to lead five Gonzaga scorers in double figures as the 18th-ranked Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for an 88-75 West Coast Conference win over Washington State in Spokane, Wash.

Nolan Hickman added 19 points, while Ben Gregg stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Khalif Battle and reserve Braden Huff each chipped in 10 points for the Bulldogs (14-4, 5-0 WCC).

Gonzaga canned 55.7 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 10 of 21 from behind the 3-point line. It entered the second half with a three-point lead and upped its advantage to 23 at one point, overmatching its in-state rival with efficient execution and balance.

Nate Calmese scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and dished out a game-high eight assists for the Cougars (13-5, 3-2), who lost their second straight game. LeJuan Watts added 17 points, and Eastern Washington transfer Dane Erikstrup chipped in 11.

Washington State hit 53.3 percent of its shots from the floor but hurt itself with 16 turnovers and couldn't hold the Bulldogs back after halftime. Hickman's layup capped an 8-0 run to start the second half and made it 48-37 Gonzaga with 17:17 left, forcing a Washington State timeout.

The break in the action didn't help.

The Cougars' deficit reached 64-44 with 12:48 left on Huff's three-point play, and the game's remainder was a race to the final buzzer.

Although Gonzaga ended up coasting to an easy victory, Washington State was competitive in the first half. The Cougars opened up a 21-16 edge at the 9:04 mark of the period on Watts' layup.

But the Bulldogs predictably responded and later retook the lead on a dunk by Gregg that made it 26-24 with 5:31 left in the half. The teams exchanged leads before Battle made a layup as time expired for a 40-37 advantage at halftime.

--Field Level Media