No. 4 Gonzaga routs UMass Lowell

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Khalif Battle scored 21 points, including 4 for 4 on 3-point attempts, and No. 4 Gonzaga cruised to a 113-54 victory over UMass Lowell on Friday night.

Nolan Hickman added 14 points and shot 4 for 5 from 3-point range for the Zags (3-0), who are undefeated after three games for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Braden Huff and Ryan Nembhard had 13 apiece and Dusty Stromer and Graham Ike each had 11.

The River Hawks (2-1) were led by Quinton Mincey with 10 points.

The Zags jumped to a 21-7 lead with the help of an 11-0 run in the first five minutes. Hickman and Battle combined for 22 first-half points and Gonzaga went into halftime ahead 49-27.

Battle made a pair of 3-pointers on Gonzaga’s first two possessions after the break. The Zags expanded their lead up to 40 points before the midway point of the half.

Takeaways

UMass Lowell: In their first loss of the season, the River Hawks shot 3 of 15 from beyond the arc and had 25 turnovers. UMass Lowell shot 16 for 35 from deep and turned the ball over 22 times in its first two games.

Gonzaga: In his first game off the bench since Jan. 11 of last season, Ben Gregg contributed seven points and 10 rebounds. Gregg’s production helped Gonzaga’s bench outscore UMass Lowell’s second unit 48-12.

Key moment

The Zags went on a 30-2 run midway through the second half that included a fast-break dunk and a transition 3-pointer from Battle on consecutive possessions. Gonzaga’s scoring run pushed its lead to 50 points with more than seven minutes remaining.

Key stat

Gonzaga had 16 steals and seven blocks, and scored 32 points off turnovers.

Up next

UMass Lowell: Visits Washington on Sunday.

Gonzaga: Visits San Diego State on Monday before returning home to host Long Beach State on Wednesday.

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