Gonzaga heats up from 3-point line in second half to spark win over Pacific

Gonzaga wasn’t having much success behind the 3-point line most of the night.

That, along with the fact that two of the Tigers’ biggest frontcourt players were battling foul trouble, was the main reason Pacific was content to sit in a 3-2 zone in the second half while the Bulldogs misfired from distance.

Gonzaga finally found the range behind the 3-point arc just when it needed it and pulled away from the Tigers 82-73 on Saturday at the Spanos Center in Stockton, California.

It started with Ryan Nembhard’s 3-pointer that gave Gonzaga the lead for good at 56-54.

Pacific tied it at 56, but Ben Gregg hit a 3-pointer and Nembhard connected again, thanks to a kind bounce on the iron, to give GU a 62-56 lead.

The margin was 66-58 when Pacific’s Judson Martindale hit a 3-pointer, but Nembhard quickly responded with his third 3 to push Gonzaga in front 69-61. The Tigers, who switched back to man-to-man defense, kept battling, but Gonzaga held on for the nine-point victory, the second year in a row Zags have won by nine at the Spanos Center.

“We were getting good looks, getting good open looks,” GU junior guard Nolan Hickman said. “Feet were nicely set and ready. Coaches let us know those were going to go in in the second half, and they did. That’s what we needed, for sure.”

Nembhard and Hickman both made three 3-pointers to lead Gonzaga. Hickman fired an airball on an open 3 from the corner in the game’s first few minutes, but he followed by hitting two behind the arc in the first half. He was 2 of 4 from distance in the first half while the rest of the Zags were 0 of 7.

“My shot has been feeling a little bit better, especially in the past few games,” said Hickman, who finished with 19 points. “Hopefully, I can keep it rolling.”

Nembhard was 0 of 2 in the opening half, but he made his last three 3-point attempts as the Zags finally built a comfortable lead against the Tigers, who were 25-point underdogs.

Graham Ike hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer since the UConn game on Dec. 15. He hadn’t made a 3-pointer since the Purdue game in Honolulu on Nov. 10, but the 6-foot-9 post looked quite comfortable when he took a pass from Hickman and drained a 3 from the top of key.

The Wyoming transfer’s 3 stretched Gonzaga’s lead to 47-39 with 15:06 left in the second half.

After going 2 of 11 in the first half, GU made 6 of 11 3-pointers (54.5%) in the final 20 minutes. The Zags made 36.4% overall after entering the game at 35.2% in their first six West Coast Conference contests.

Gonzaga has made at least eight 3s in five of seven WCC games, including 10 in each victory over San Diego.