No. 3 Gonzaga bounces back from loss, swamps No. 14 Indiana 89-73 behind Nembhard double-double

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Khalif Battle led a balanced attack with 16 points, Ryan Nembhard had a double-double and No. 3 Gonzaga used a first-half blitz to beat No. 14 Indiana 89-73 in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday.

The Bulldogs led 33-31 with under eight minutes to go in the first half when five players scored in a 16-0 run in less than 4 1/2 minutes and the Hoosiers never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way.

Nembhard had 11 points and a career-high 13 assists for the Bulldogs (6-1). Michael Ajayi and Nolan Hickman added 15 points and Ben Gregg 13. Ajayi had nine rebounds as Gonzaga outrebounded Indiana 42-27.

Omar Ballo had 25 points for Indiana (4-2), which lost its second straight. Mackenzie Mgbako scored 13.

Takeaways

No. 3 Gonzaga bounces back from loss, swamps No. 14 Indiana 89-73 behind Nembhard double-double | iNFOnews.ca — In this photo provided by Bahamas Visual Services, Indiana’s Myles Rice controls the bal against Gonzaga during an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, in Paradise Island, Bahamas. (Tim Aylen/Bahamas Visual Services via AP)

Gonzaga was locked in for its second blowout win over a top-15 opponent and rebounded from a loss to West Virginia.

Indiana struggled to get its offense going.

Key moment

Indiana was within two when Bello scored inside at the 8:11 mark of the first half, giving him 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting against his first college team. His next basket came at 2:58 and cut Gonzaga’s lead to 49-33. The Hoosiers missed eight shots with three turnovers between baskets.

Key stats

Gonzaga led 57-39 at half with a 17-3 advantage in second-chance points. … Bello was 11-of-13 shooting, his teammates were 16 of 46. … Gonzaga had six players in double figures before Indiana got its second with 1:20 left in the game.

Up next

Gonzaga will play Davidson for fifth place, and Indiana plays Providence for seventh on Friday.