WICHITA, Kan. — Khalif Battle scored 24 points, Nolan Hickman had 18 and eighth-seeded Gonzaga routed Georgia 89-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
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 Mark Few took over as coach in 1999. They went 12 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% from the field overall.
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.
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.
The Bulldogs shot 35% (21 for 60) from the field. They were 5 for 26 from 3-point range.
It was the 25th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Gonzaga while Georgia made the field for the first time since 2015.
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