SPOKANE, Wash. – – Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Gonzaga defeated No. 8 Baylor 101-63 at Spokane Arena on Monday night in the team’s season opener.

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

Norchad Omier had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears. Robert Wright added 12 points and Josh Ojianwuna had 10.

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

Takeaways

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

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs shot 57.1% from the field and 41.9% on 3s while reaching 100 points against a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since the 100-90 win over Alabama on Dec. 17, 2022.

Key stat

Gonzaga defeated Baylor 45-32. The Bulldogs were particularly aggressive on the offensive boards, grabbing 16 rebounds and adding 17 second-chance points.

Key moment

Khalif Battle made three straight 3-pointers to give Gonzaga a lead of more than 30 points with just over six minutes to play. The graduate student guard finished with 12 points, all from beyond the arc.

Next

Baylor plays No. 16 Arkansas in Dallas on Saturday, and Gonzaga hosts Arizona State on Sunday.

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