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Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) dribbles against Pacific Tigers forward Elias Ralph (center left) during the second half at Alex G. Spanos Center Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Ryan Nembhard makes history in Gonzaga's win over Pacific: 3 takeaways

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated Feb 8, 2025 11:22 PM ET

The Gonzaga men's basketball team cruised to a 78-61 victory over Pacific in a Saturday night tilt from the Spanos Center in Stockton, California.

The Bulldogs (18-7, 9-3 WCC) used a 14-0 scoring run to jump ahead by double-digits heading down the stretch of the first half and never looked back, leading by as many as 28 before coming away with their 22nd straight win over the Tigers (8-19, 3-10 WCC) in another impressive performance on the defensive end of the floor from Mark Few's team.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

RYAN NEMBHARD'S HISTORIC RUN CONTINUES

Ryan Nembhard didn't even need a full two seasons to completely rewrite Gonzaga's record books.

The senior guard from Ontario and younger brother of former Bulldogs standout Andrew Nembhard broke the program's single-season assist record for a second year in a row after dishing out eight assists against the Tigers, bringing his season total to a country-best 246 through 25 games. Ryan had 243 assists in 35 games last season.

The record-breaking dime came in style after a strong defensive effort from the Zags led to an alley-oop connection between Nembhard and Khalif Battle, as the latter put down a two-hand dunk to deliver Nembhard his crucial sixth assist of the night and put Gonzaga up 63-35 with 10:21 left in the second half.

Of the Bulldogs' 25 made field goals Saturday, 19 came off an assist. The Zags entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country in assists per game (19.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0). With nine turnovers against the Tigers, the Bulldogs have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in each of their last five contests.

Nembhard, who became the first player in the country to eclipse the 200-assist mark this season, led the nation with 9.9 assists per game through the first 25 games of the season. That's on pace to set the WCC record for the highest assist average in a season, which was set by San Francisco's Orlando Smart in 1991 (9.2 per game).

ANOTHER STRONG STAND DEFENSIVELY

After allowing 200 points combined in back-to-back losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara, the Zags haven't let their last five opponents score more than 63 points or shoot 40% or better from the field. That's quite the turnaround on the defensive end of the floor over the course of a two-week span, even if some of those stands came against a few bottom-dwellers in the league standings.

The Tigers, ranked 278th in offensive efficiency according to KenPom, aren't considered world-beaters by any stretch, though their versatile roster of lengthy wings and guards could've posed trouble for a Gonzaga team that has already struggled against taller and more athletic wings this season. Pacific's Elijah Fisher, a 6-foot-6 junior from Ontario, certainly fits that mold, as does 6-foot-4 Lamar Washington.

Washington led the Tigers with 22 points on 9-of-14 from the field. While the Portland, Oregon, native was efficient against Gonzaga, his teammates, however, combined to go 13-of-41 from the field. Pacific also committed 15 turnovers to just five assists.

Since Jan. 25, Gonzaga ranks top 15 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to Torvik.

ON TO SAN FRANCISCO

A pivotal matchup against San Francisco at the Kennel awaits Gonzaga this upcoming Thursday.

The Dons (20-6, 10-3 WCC) entered Saturday's matchup against Loyola Marymount coming off an impressive 65-64 win over Saint Mary's at the Hilltop on Thursday. Marcus Williams led the way with 16 points while Ryan Beasley added 12 points off the bench as San Francisco earned its first win over the Gaels since 2019 in a battle of the league's top two teams in the standings.

Chris Gerlufsen's squad continued to keep pace in the WCC race Saturday with a 72-66 victory over the Lions at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. Williams and Thomas combined for 36 points and Beasley added 17 off the bench.

Malik Thomas entered the LMU game as the WCC's leading scorer with 19.4 points per game. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior has 11 games with 20 or more points this season, including a pair of 30-point outbursts in WCC play. Thomas, who's No. 1 in the WCC in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, had 34 points in San Francisco's overtime win over Santa Clara in the league opener and 34 against Washington State about a week later.