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Gonzaga Basketball

Buzzer breakdown: Khalif Battle’s early ejection stirs debate in Gonzaga’s loss to UCLA

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) wraps up UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) on a play that resulted in Battle being called for a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected from the game during the first half of a college basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson The Spokesman-Review

Here are three observations from No. 14 Gonzaga’s 65-62 loss to No. 22 UCLA on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Down to the wire … again

Aside from Gonzaga’s 83-63 rout of UCLA during a nonconference game in 2021-22, every meeting between the schools has come with an entertaining finish.

Not surprisingly, Friday’s game delivered on that front as well.

The teams that had their past two games decided by a combined seven points were knotted up at 58 inside the final 2 minutes at the Intuit Dome.

UCLA’s Sebastian Mack missed a pair of free throws and Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard gave the Bulldogs a two-point advantage on a midrange jumper, but the Bruins retook the lead when Mack drove and converted a layup while drawing a foul on Emmanuel Innocenti.

The Bruins had a three-point lead inside the final 20 seconds, but Nembhard drove to the basket and converted while drawing a foul on Mack.

With a chance to tie the game at the line, Nembhard missed his free throw short and UCLA’s Skyy Clark gave the Bruins a three-point lead with free throws at the other end.

With roughly 3 seconds still left on the shot clock, Nembhard launched and missed a half-court shot, sealing the 65-62 win for UCLA.

Ike cooks up 24-point outing

Graham Ike was Gonzaga’s solution just about every time the Bulldogs found themselves in an offensive funk.

There were a handful of those for both teams and Ike was the most productive player on the floor, scoring 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field.

Ike still had half of GU’s total points with less than 9 minutes remaining in the game – not unlike last season’s game between the same teams at the Maui Invitational, when forward Anton Watson carried with the Zags with 32 of the team’s 69 points in a narrow victory.

Ike, who’s had three straight 20-point games since scoring three points in a loss to Connecticut, also had eight rebounds.

Battle ejection stirs debate

Fans had plenty to say about the Flagrant 2 foul on Khalif Battle that sent Gonzaga’s starting guard to the locker room for the remainder of the game.

With 4:13 remaining in the first half, Battle bit on a pump fake from Eric Dailey Jr. while contesting the UCLA player’s shot underneath the rim. As he crashed to the court, Battle grasped onto Dailey’s neck, pulling the guard down with him.

Battle’s foul was initially deemed a Flagrant 1, but the officiating crew upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after a video review, disqualifying the Gonzaga guard for the remainder of the game.

Michael Ajayi was whistled for Gonzaga’s second flagrant foul, a Flagrant 1, after throwing an elbow on the offensive end of the floor early in the second half. Both Dailey and Nembhard were whistled for technical fouls after a dustup just minutes later.