
Georgia Bulldogs at Gonzaga Bulldogs
· Men's Basketball Championship - Midwest Region - 1st RoundKhalif Battle scores 24 as Gonzaga beats Georgia 89-68 in the NCAA Tournament

Battle scored 24 points, Nolan Hickman had 18 and the eighth-seeded Zags routed Georgia 89-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Battle went 9 for 13 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds in his first March Madness game in his sixth season of college basketball. The graduate student played for Butler, Temple and Arkansas before joining the Bulldogs.
He gave Gonzaga coach Mark Few a high-five as he ran down the court after making one of his four 3-pointers.
“It felt good, I can’t put it into words,” Battle said. “You’ve kind of been watching this as a kid. ... So to be dancing with these guys is special. And I'd run through a wall for them any day after I have the jersey on. So it’s been special for me, and I just want to keep on dancing.”
Braden Huff added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting as Gonzaga (26-8) advanced to an intriguing second-round matchup with top-seeded Houston. The Cougars rolled to a 78-40 victory over SIU Edwardsville.
The Zags used a sharp, focused performance to move into the second round for the 22nd time since Few took over as coach in 1999. They went 12 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% from the field overall.
“Couldn’t be happier," Few said. "We played a great first half on both ends of the floor, and I thought our defense was solid throughout the whole night, and I’m happy our guys took the plan and executed it perfectly.”
Asa Newell scored 20 points for Georgia (20-13), one of a record 14 SEC teams that made the field for the tournament. Silas Demary Jr. had 15 points.
“It was a tough day, you know, for our program, for this team, didn’t see that coming, didn’t anticipate that outcome, obviously, especially the first 10 minutes of the game," Georgia coach Mike White said.
Georgia got off to a slow start, and Gonzaga took advantage. It was 13-0 by the first media timeout. Ben Gregg's layup made it 27-3 with 11:44 left.
Gonzaga opened its biggest lead at 76-50 midway through the second half.
Georgia shot 35% (21 for 60) from the field. It was 5 for 26 from 3-point range.
Gonzaga: Battle, Hickman and Huff combined for 60 points as Gonzaga led from wire-to-wire.
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Recent Plays
2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 68 - 89 |
2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 68 - 89 |
2nd 0:10 | Joe Few Offensive Rebound. | 68 - 89 |
2nd 0:12 | Emmanuel Innocenti missed Three Point Jumper. | 68 - 89 |
2nd 0:30 | Emmanuel Innocenti Offensive Rebound. | 68 - 89 |
Statistics
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---|---|---|
21-60 | FG | 33-60 |
35.0 | Field Goal % | 55.0 |
5-26 | 3PT | 12-20 |
19.2 | Three Point % | 60.0 |
21-29 | FT | 11-15 |
72.4 | Free Throw % | 73.3 |
31 | Rebounds | 38 |
13 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
18 | Defensive Rebounds | 27 |
12 | Assists | 23 |
9 | Steals | 5 |
3 | Blocks | 3 |
13 | Turnovers | 12 |
0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
13 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
9 | Points Off Turnovers | 25 |
8 | Fast Break Points | 7 |
32 | Points in Paint | 28 |
13 | Fouls | 23 |
0 | Largest Lead | 26 |
Game Information
Location: Wichita, KS
Attendance: 14,355 | Capacity:
2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings
TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
---|---|---|---|
Auburn | 15-3 | - | 32-5 |
Florida | 14-4 | 1 | 34-4 |
Alabama | 13-5 | 2 | 28-9 |
Tennessee | 12-6 | 3 | 30-8 |
Texas A&M | 11-7 | 4 | 23-11 |
Ole Miss | 10-8 | 5 | 24-12 |
Kentucky | 10-8 | 5 | 24-12 |
Missouri | 10-8 | 5 | 22-12 |
Mississippi State | 8-10 | 7 | 21-13 |
Arkansas | 8-10 | 7 | 22-14 |
Georgia | 8-10 | 7 | 20-13 |
Vanderbilt | 8-10 | 7 | 20-13 |
Oklahoma | 6-12 | 9 | 20-14 |
Texas | 6-12 | 9 | 19-16 |
LSU | 3-15 | 12 | 14-18 |
South Carolina | 2-16 | 13 | 12-20 |
2024-25 West Coast Conference Standings
TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
---|---|---|---|
Saint Mary's | 17-1 | - | 29-6 |
Gonzaga | 14-4 | 3 | 26-9 |
San Francisco | 13-5 | 4 | 25-10 |
Santa Clara | 12-6 | 5 | 21-13 |
Oregon State | 10-8 | 7 | 20-13 |
Washington State | 8-10 | 9 | 19-15 |
Loyola Marymount | 8-10 | 9 | 17-15 |
Portland | 7-11 | 10 | 12-20 |
Pepperdine | 4-14 | 13 | 13-22 |
Pacific | 4-14 | 13 | 9-24 |
San Diego | 2-16 | 15 | 6-27 |