The Gonzaga men’s basketball team travels to San Diego State on Monday night for its first real road game of the season.

The Bulldogs (3-0) enter the game coming off a 113-54 victory over UMass-Lowell on Friday. Six players finished in double figures in scoring, led by Khalif Battle’s 21 points and four 3-pointers. Nolan Hickman added 14 points, while Ryan Nembhard had 13 points, eight assists and no turnovers. Gonzaga led by as many as 62 points after a 32-2 scoring run in the second half, scoring 32 points off 25 turnovers by the River Hawks.

Nembhard’s 10.0 assists per game ranks second in the nation, as does his 15.0 assists-to-turnover ratio. Through three games, the senior guard has recorded 30 assists to just two goals. With Nembhard at the helm, Gonzaga is sixth in the country with 22.3 assists per game.

The Aztecs (2-0) held off UC San Diego in the season opener, 63-58, before cruising to a 100-49 victory over Occidental. Wayne McKinney III, BJ Davis and Magoon Gwath each had 16 points to lead the way in the 51-point win. Taj DeGourville had 14 points and five assists in San Diego State’s third 100-point game under head coach Brian Dutcher (since 2017-18).

Through Sunday, San Diego State ranks No. 1 in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage allowed (28.6%) according to KenPom.com, according to KenPom.com. Conversely, Gonzaga converts 61.8% of its attempts inside the arc (27th in the nation).

Sophomore guard Miles Byrd is considered a “game-time decision” due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the Occidental game. Byrd filled the stat sheet in the season opener with 20 points (4-for-8 from 3), eight rebounds, five steals, four blocks and three assists. According to San Diego State Athletics, he became the only San Diego State player since the 2019-2020 season to record at least 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals in the same game.

Monday marks the sixth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego State. The Aztecs led the series 3-2 after handing the Zags a rare home loss last season at the McCarthey Athletic Center in an 84-74 final on Dec. 29.

“Just a bunch of tough, athletic guys that get you into a rock fight like they defend,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of the Aztecs. “They’re definitely going to hit the glass. They’re going to be in those holes, breaking us and making it difficult. They’re going to be very, very physical.”

HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. STATE OF SAN DIEGO

WHO: Gonzaga heads on the road to take on San Diego State

When: 7pm PT/10pm EST | Monday November 18th

Where: Viejas Arena | San Diego, California

TV: CBS Sports Network

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