SPOKANE, Wash. — Ryan Nembhard scored a season-high 22 points and Anton Watson added 11 points and 13 rebounds as No. 11 Gonzaga beat Cal State Bakersfield 81-65 on Tuesday night.
Six players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs (5-1). Nolan Hickman had 13 points and freshman Dusty Stromer finished with a season-high 10.
Coming off three standout performances at the Maui Invitational that earned him West Coast Conference player of the week honors, Watson was held to a season low in points but made up for it with his work on the boards.
Watson also got plenty of help in the scoring department. Braden Huff added 12 points off the bench and Graham Ike had 11.
It wasn't a fluid effort for the Bulldogs in their first game back after playing three times in three days in Hawaii. Gonzaga went 2-1 at the tournament with wins over Syracuse and UCLA, and a loss to No. 1 Purdue.
The Bulldogs went through several shooting droughts against the Roadrunners, including a seven-minute stretch of the first half. But Gonzaga used an 11-2 run in the second half to break open the game, and Hickman's layup gave the Bulldogs their largest lead at 70-48.
Top scorer Kaleb Higgins led the Roadrunners (3-4) with 21 points, and Modestas Kancleris added 12. Cal State Bakersfield pulled within 13 in the closing minutes but got no closer.
BIG PICTURE
Cal State Bakersfield: The Roadrunners were picked to finish eighth in the Big West preseason poll, but keeping the game close through the first half should give them confidence working through the nonconference part of their schedule.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 against Cal State Bakersfield. It was a good tune-up for Gonzaga with a challenging next couple of weeks on the schedule.
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