Sixth-seeded Gonzaga opens with a 101-63 win over No. 8 Baylor

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Nolan Hickman scored 17 points, Graham Ike had 15 points and eight rebounds and No. 6 Gonzaga beat No. 8 Baylor 101-63 on Monday night in the teams' season opener at Spokane Arena.

Braden Huff added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who earned their 19th straight season-opening win. It was Gonzaga's largest win over a top-10 opponent in school history, over a team it lost to in the 2021 National Championship game in Indianapolis and the 2022 Peacock Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Norchad Omier had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears. Robert Wright added 12 points and Josh Ojianwuna had 10.

The Bulldogs went on a 24-4 run in the second half to secure the win. It was the first time Baylor lost by more than 30 points under coach Scott Drew.

Takeaways
Baylor: The Bears missed their first five shots and were 36.2% from the field in the first half. Drew's team failed to turn things around, finishing the game at 37.1%, including 14.3% on 3-pointers.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs shot 57.1% from the field and 41.9% on 3s, reaching the 100-point mark against a national opponent for the first time since their 100-90 win over Alabama on December 17, 2022 Ranking.