LOS ANGELES — In an impressive display of skill, Graham Ike contributed 27 points and Khalif Battle added 26, leading the No. 19 Gonzaga Bulldogs to a dominant 96-68 win against Loyola Marymount on Saturday.
Michael Ajayi stepped up with 15 points off the bench for Gonzaga (12-4, 3-0 West Coast Conference), marking their 11th consecutive victory in true road games. This win also extended Gonzaga’s winning streak against Loyola Marymount to 13 games on the Lions’ home turf.
For Loyola Marymount (9-7, 1-3), Will Johnston scored 18 points while Jevon Porter contributed 17 points.
Gonzaga quickly established a significant lead, holding a double-digit advantage midway through the first half. The Bulldogs ended the first half with a score of 46-28 and pushed their lead to as much as 30 points (96-66) in the closing moments of the game.
In terms of performance trends, Gonzaga concluded a three-game stretch in Southern California with a 2-1 record. They faced a tough loss against No. 15 UCLA, falling 65-62 in a neutral-site matchup at the Intuit Dome on December 28. However, they rebounded with a thrilling 89-82 victory at Pepperdine two days later.
From the Lions’ perspective, Caleb Stone-Carrawell made his mark by scoring nine points, reaching a career milestone of 1,000 points in his 100th college basketball game. Now in his sixth year and final eligibility season as a grad transfer, Carrawell has accumulated 1,002 points throughout his career, having previously played at Charlotte, Austin Peay, and Utah Valley.
A pivotal moment in the game came when Johnston hit a 3-pointer to even the score at 7, before Gonzaga surged ahead with a 9-2 run.
An important statistic to note is that Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard tallied 11 assists, achieving double-digit assists for the ninth time this season. He leads the nation with a remarkable 153 assists against just 38 turnovers.
Looking ahead, Loyola Marymount will compete against Saint Mary’s on Tuesday night, while Gonzaga is set to host San Diego on Wednesday night.