GU tickets on sale early

Gonzaga University men’s basketball fans will get an early opportunity to purchase tickets for the Bulldogs’ Dec. 4 Battle in Seattle against the University of Massachusetts at KeyArena.

General tickets can be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets in the Seattle area starting on Sept. 18. But a Spokane-only pre-sale will be conducted on Sept. 11 through local Ticketmaster outlets.

This year’s Battle in Seattle is the second in a 4-year deal between GU and Northwest Sports, Inc.

In last year’s inaugural event, the Zags beat Missouri 87-80 in overtime.

UMass, which is coached by Steve Lappas, returns three of its top four players from last year’s team, including leading scorer and Atlantic-10 Conference freshman of the year Raushan Freeman.