By Canadian Press

Kispert, Ayayi lead No. 1 Gonzaga over Dixie State 112-67

Dec 29, 2020 | 8:18 PM

SPOKANE, Wash. — Corey Kispert scored 25 points, Joel Ayayi added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and top-ranked Gonzaga beat short-handed Dixie State 112-67 on Tuesday night.

Oumar Ballo added 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting for Gonzaga (9-0), which has won 43 consecutive home games, the longest streak in the nation.

Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., added nine points and a rebound for the Bulldogs.

Cameron Gooden scored 20 points, Jacob Nicholds had 11 and Jacob Greene 10 for Dixie State (4-2), which is in the first year of its transition to Division I basketball. The Trailblazers were down to nine players because of COVID-19 protocols and injuries.

Gonzaga was playing for the second consecutive night and the sixth time in 10 days.

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Star Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs missed a second consecutive game with a right leg injury suffered last weekend in a win over Virginia.

Dixie State tried to run with the Zags in the first half, but could not sustain the pace. Ayayi scored 10 points as Gonzaga jumped to a 30-18 lead in the opening eight minutes, and the Bulldogs shot 70% to lead 36-24 after 12 minutes.

Kispert hit a pair of 3-pointers and Ayayi added one during a 13-2 run that lifted Gonzaga to a 49-26 lead late in the first half. The Bulldogs led 63-38 at the break after shooting 66.7%. Ayayi had 19 points in the first and Kispert had 12. Dixie State shot 48.5% in the first.

Gonzaga extended its lead to 30 points early in the second half and the Trailblazers faded.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Gonzaga should remain atop the Top 25 for an eighth week if it beats San Francisco on Saturday.

BIG PICTURE

Dixie State: The Trailblazers, based in St. George, Utah, spent the past decade as an NCAA Division II power. They have four returning starters and are averaging better than 80 points per game.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs, coming off a 30-point win over Northern Arizona on Monday, are second in the nation with an average of 94.3 points per game and third in shooting at 55%. Kispert (20.6) and Drew Timme (20.6) lead the West Coast Conference in scoring. The Bulldogs have won 30 of their past 31 games.

UP NEXT.

Dixie State hosts Sagu American Indian College on Saturday.

Gonzaga hosts San Francisco in its WCC opener on Saturday.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Nicholas K. Geranios, The Associated Press